TORONTO "CALLED BACK,1
FROM 1894 TO 1847.
ITS WONDERFUL
GROWTH AND PROGRESS,
WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES,
AND REMINISCENCES EXTENDING OVER THE ABOVE
PERIOD, INCLUDING THK INTRODUCTION OF
THE BONDING SYSTEM THROUGH
THE UNITED STATES.
. WITH A BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT OF
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEX AND EMPRESS,
AND ALSO ENGRAVINGS OF HIS EXCELLENCY THE EARL OF
ABERDEEN, GOVERNOR-GENERAL, AND OF THE
COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN.
C \VHLO I^TC PROFUSELY I I ^ T^ TJiSTR A .TJK I)
BY
CONYNGHAM CRAWFORD TAYLOR
Fellow of the Imperial Institute.
FOURTH THOUSAND.
TORONTO :
WILLIAM BRIGGS, PUBLISHER,
WESLEY BUILDINGS.
1894.
ELECTRONIC
fafiCTRONIC VERSION AVAILABLE
AVAILABLE
NO.
*><\J
/ "t
VICTORIA
i83?:QuEEN & EMPRESS -
•C94.
PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.
PERSONAL knowledge and observation constitute the moat demon-
strative form of information.
During my visit to Great Britain, in 1889, I found that wherever
"Toronto 'Called Back"' had been read, it received the highest
encomiums. If not for its literary merits, it was appreciated as filling
a want everywhere felt, as to the information about our beautiful and
prosperous city.
In public libraries, leading newspapers, hotels and public institu-
tions, it was spoken of in the highest terms, and read with expres-
sions of wonder as a revelation of the high position to which
Toronto had attained in a comparatively short time.
These flattering notices and the fact that whole chapters had been
quoted by some of the leading newspapers, have induced me to publish
a new edition, which, while retaining the essential history of Toronto
for forty-five years, will include full information of the progress of
the city since 1888, and many new features in the way of illustrations,
which, I hope, will be found interesting as well as useful. The work
in every particular will be confined to Toronto talent, which, I
may say, I felt proud to find was highly spoken of in Great Britain.
C. C. TAYLOR
35 GROSVENOR STREET, July, 1892.
A reader should sit down to a book, especially of the miscel-
laneous kind, as a well-behaved visitor does to a banquet. The
master of the feast exerts himself to satisfy all his guests, but
if, after all his care, there should be something or other put on the
table that does not suit this or that person's taste, they politely
pass it over without noticing the circumstance, and commend
other dishes, that they may not distress their host or throw any
damp on his spirits. — Erasmus.
The book is not "a learned work." I say this because my
short experience as a writer convinces me that "originality " and
" learning " are considered indispensable prerequisites to author-
ship by many critics, even if (especially if) the critics themselves
are not original and learned. I never knew what an ignoramus
I was until I wrote a book, and therefore, I humbly admit that I
am not learned, and no production of mine can bear the stamp of
erudition ; but as learning, no less than originality, is relative, as
a man may be very " deep " to shallow minds and very learned to
the uneducated, perhaps I may get a hearing and a reading since
the-Solomons are decidedly in the minority in these degenerate
days. —HOWARD McQuEARY, in Topics of the Times.
I have remarked that the true delineation of the smallest man,
and his pilgrimage through life, is capable of interesting the
greatest man ; that all men are to an unspeakable degree brothers,
each man's life a strange emblem of every man's ; and that human
portraits faithfully drawn are of all pictures the welcomest on
human walls. — Carlyle.
CONTENTS.
Page.
INTRODUCTORY — Emigration — Departure for New York — First Impres-
sions of New York— From New Y ork to Toronto 9-22
1847 to 1857.
First Impressions of Toronto — Shopping — Toronto in 1847 — Gossip —
Street Pavements— Toronto Post Office— Gas and Water Works
—The Circulating Medium— Store Pay .. . . 23-43
Retail Importing — Wholesale Trade in 1847 — Prominent Men in 1847 —
A. & S. Nordheimer — Lord Elgin — Toronto Police Force— First
Strike in Toronto — Immigrant Fever — Bathing — Great Fire on
King Street — Establishment of Celebration of Queen's Birthday. . 44-54
First Retail Dry Goods Store on Yonge Street— Selling on the Sterling
Cost— Business Houses, 1847-1850— Manufacturers— A Tour of
Observation . , 55-61
First Return Visit to Europe — Windsor Castle — Commencement of
Commercial Travelling in Canada— Toronto in 1850— Public Insti-
tutions—Prominent Men in 1850— Bonding System via United
States— First Great World's Fair— Turning the First Sod of the
Northern Railway— Tariff in 1850-51 62-75
Railway Opening and Steamship Contracts — The Industrial Crystal
Palace— Progress of the City— The Esplanade 76-91
Rossin House and Railroads — Mercantile Agencies — Erastus Wiman
—The Close of the First Decade , 91-97
1857 to 1867.
Financial Crisis in 1857— The Desjardins Canal Accident— Royal Mail
" Cunard " Steamer Persia — Decimal Currency and American
Silver— Road to North-West Wanted— Current Events— Visit of
the Prince of Wales to Canada, 1860— The Death of Prince Albert
—Buying in Europe— 1860 to 1865 98-111
The Fenian Raid— Close of the Second Decade .. . 112-118
Contents.
1867 to 1877.
Page.
Confederation— Tariffs of England, United States, and Canada, from
1869 to 1876— Metropolitan Church— Toronto in 1870 and 1871—
Return of Rev. Dr. Punshon to England— St. James' Cathedral
Clock 119-132
1877 to 1887.
Protection versus a Revenue Tariff— Exhibition Buildings— Current
Events— The Marquis of Lome and H. R. H. the Princess Louise
— Farewell of the Vice-regal Party 133-141
Arrival of the Marquis of Lansdowne— First Visit to Toronto— The
Semi-Centennial Celebration — Departure of Toronto Troops for
the North-West—Return of the Toronto Contingent— Arrival at
North Toronto 142-148
Toronto the Centre of the Dominion— Toronto Custom House -Custom
House Staff, 1891— Comparative Imports and Duty Paid by Cities
of the United States and Toronto, for the Year ending 30th June,
1891 1^9-154
Toronto in 1886— Meat Markets and Horses of Toronto— Toronto's
Natural Advantages— Toronto a City of Churches — Toronto an
Educational Centre— Indian and Colonial Exhibition, 1886— Open-
ing Ceremonies— The Canadian Exhibits— Toronto Exhibits— Hon.
Sir Charles Tupper, Baronet— Dominion Day, 1886 159-184
1887 to 1892.
Rebellion of 1837— The Queen's Jubilee— Fifty Years' Progress-
Toronto's Loyalty — Celebration in the Dominion of Canada — Cele-
bration in Toronto— Jubilee Praise and Thanksgiving Services —
Jubilee Service in the Metropolitan Church — At the Synagogue — 185-196
Celebration in London— Jubilee Choral Concert — The Imperial Insti-
tute— Governors-General of Canada since 1847 — Lieutenant-Gov-
ernors of Ontario 196-203
Toronto a Musical City — F. H. Torrington — Toronto College of Music —
Jenny Lind — Mrs. John Beverley Robinson and Mrs. Beard — The
Musical Festival— Toronto a Literary City— The Globe— The
Christian Guardian and,Methodist Publishing House 204-223
Free Library— The Manning Arcade— Toronto as a Place of Residence
— Summer Resorts — Queen's Park — Exhibition Park— Lome Park
—Street Traffic— Canadian Pacific Railway— Cathedral of St.
Alban the Martyr 224-234
Toronto Street Railway Company— Commercial Union or Unrestricted
Reciprocity— Arrival of the New Governor-General, Lord Stanley
of Preston . 235-242
Contents.
x
Imperial Federation — Right Hon. Sir John A. Maedonald — New
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario — Hon. Sir Oliver Mowat, K. C. M. G.
—The New Parliament Buildings - Toronto in 1888 — Central Posi-
tion of Toronto— Winter of 1887-88 in Toronto .................. 243-251
Trans-Pacific Steamers— New Bank of Montreal— Canadian Railways
. — The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada— Canadian Pacific Rail-
way—The Mail ............................................. 252-260
Wealthy People of Toronto— The Empire— Capital Invested in Toronto
— Toronto a Manufacturing City — Manufactures in 1892— The
Marquis of Dufferin and Ava — Meeting in the Academy of Music
—Death of Sir John A. Macdonald ........................... 261-270
Commercial Statistics— Purchases of British Products— Manufactured
Exports from Great Britain — Canadian Imports and Exports to
30th June, 1891— Exports from Toronto, the Produce of Canada-
Imports to Toronto, 1891 — Post Office Statistics — Comparative
Increase of Population in Eight Canadian Cities in Twenty Years
— How Canada Has Prospered under the National Policy — Total
Value of Canada's Exports to Great Britain and the United States. 271-273
Members of the Dominion Cabinet, 1892 — Port of Montreal— Shipping
of the World — Comparative Finances and Population of Toronto
in 1879 and 1889 ............................................ 273-275
Mayors of Toronto —Value of Buildings Erected, 1882-1891 — Foreign
Consuls in Toronto— Toronto Weather Statistics — Churches in
1892 — Toronto Waterworks— Toronto Gas Works— Toronto Rail-
way Company— Toronto Post Office in 1892— Toronto Board of
Trade— Officers for 1892 ...................................... 276-282
Death of Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale — Toronto in
1892 — Forty-five Years' Retrospect — Toronto Street Statistics —
Buildings Lately Completed and in Course of Erection — Forty-
Eighth Highlanders — Death of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario
— Appointment of New Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario — The
Founders of Toronto's Greatness— The Manufacture of Pianos in
Toronto — The Nordheimer Manufacturing Company, Limited —
Samuel Nordheimer, Esq. — Glenedyth — Mr. Albert Nordheimer
— Octavius Newcombe & Co .................................. 283-301
The Queen's Hotel— The Red Parlor— Thomas McGaw, Esq.— Mr.
Henry Winnett — Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught
— Rossin House — British America Fire and Marine Assurance Com-
pany — Toronto Lithographing Company — Oronhyatekha, M.D. —
The Late Hon. John Macdonald, Senator — Samson, Kennedy &
Co. — Frederick Kennedy — Warring Kennedy, Esq., Mayor of
Toronto.. . 302-320
x Contents.
1892 to 1894.
Page.
Departure of the Earl of Derby — Arrival of the Earl of Aberdeen —
First Public Appearance in Toronto — The Fleming Administration
— Massey Music Hall — Massey Music Hall Festival — Fred Victor
Mission Building — Toronto College of Music— Toronto Statistics,
Five Years' Building Operations — Assets of Toronto Railway Com-
pany—Board of Trade— Dominion Statistics— Commerce of Canada
and the United States Compared— Toronto Pavements— Toronto
Island— The New Union Station 321-336
The Gerhard Heintzman Piano Co.— The Empire on Which the Sun
Never Sets— Appreciation of the Imperial Institute— Opening of
the Imperial Institute - Marriage of the Duke of York— Opening
of the Manchester Ship Canal— Extension of the Park System —
The Mail and Empire— The Governor-General at Rideau Hall—
Unveiling the Statue of the late Sir John A. Macdonald — Death
of Sir John Thompson— The New Cabinet, 1894 . 337-349
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page.
Toronto in 1834 23
Osgoode Hall, Toronto 47
St. James' Cathedral, Toronto 53
Windsor Castle 63
Industrial Crystal Palace, Toronto 78
Toronto in 1854 83
Parliament Buildings, Ottawa 118
Metropolitan Church, Toronto 124
Government House, Toronto 132
Industrial Exhibition Grounds, Toronto 134
Union Station, Toronto 141
Custom House, Toronto 151
Trinity College, Toronto 155
View of Toronto, 1886 158
Salvation Army Temple 165
New Upper Canada College, Toronto 169
Niagara River -Below the Falls 184
The Thames Embankment and Waterloo Bridge 198
University of Toronto . 210
Toronto College of Music 212
The Mail Building, Toronto 218
The Globe Building, Toronto 219
McMaster Hall, Toronto 221
Wesley Buildings, Toronto . 225
Cathedral of St. Alban 233
New Parliament Buildings, Toronto -. 248
Bank of Montreal, Toronto 255
The Empire, Building, Toronto 261
Post Office, Toronto 281
New Board of Trade Building, Toronto 294
Newcombe Pianoforte Warerooms 299
Queen's Hotel, Toronto 302
The " Red Parlor," Queen's Hotel, Toronto 304
The Bedroom, " en suite," Queen's Hotel, Toronto 305
Rossin House, Toronto 308
Samson, Kennedy & Co.'s Warehouse 317
Massey Music Hall, Toronto 324
Fred Victor Mission Building, Toronto 327
New Union Station, Toronto . 335
PORTRAITS.
Page
Her Majesty, Queen and Empress Frontispiece
Hon. John Beverley Robinson, Ex-Lieut. -Governor of Ontario .... 4
Thomas Thompson, Esq 57
Rev. Egerton Ryerson, D.D 167
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales 175
Hon. Sir Charles Tupper, Baronet 183
F. H. Torrington, Esq 209
Right Rev. Arthur Sweatman, D.D 235
His Excellency Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Baron Stanley of
Preston, G.C.B 241
Right Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, G.C.B 244
John Harvie, Esq 256
The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava 266
James Beatty, Esq , Q.C., D.C.L 286
Samuel Nordlieimer, Esq 296
Octavius Newcombe, Esq ; 298
Henry Newcombe, Esq 300
Thomas McGaw, Esq 305
His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught 306
Oronhyatekha, M.D 313
The Late Hon. John Macdonald 314
Frederick Kennedy, Esq 319
Warring Kennedy, Esq. , Mayor 320
His Excellency The Earl of Aberdeen, P.C., Governor-General of
Canada 321
The Countess of Aberdeen 322
H. A. Massey, Esq 323
Gerhard Heintzman, Esq 337
TORONTO "CALLED BACK.
"A man's real possession is his memory. Ln nothing else is he rich; in
nothing else is he poor. — Alexander Smith.
THE four decades embraced in the first edition of Toronto
" Called Back," having now extended to the first half of the
fifth, and consequently requiring additions to the history of the
wonderful growth and progress of the City, many of the
remarkable events recorded in that period, especially those
connected with the reign of Her Majesty the Queen, of which I
was an eye-witness, as well as the account of the Queen's
Jubilee, must be omitted in the present and subsequent
volumes; while, what is recorded, shall be entirely from per-
sonal knowledge.
The history of Toronto since 1847, with that of every
individual mercantile and manufacturing firm is familiar to the
writer ; and the reminiscences, originally intended only for
private reference, will be found to contain much which was
never before printed, and only placed before the public at the
solicitation of merchants of contemporary standing, who were
aware of their correctness, and testified to their value as a
commercial history.
Should the end of the fifth decade be reached by the reader,
it will be seen whether the predictions of what Toronto will be
in 1896 shall have been realized.
For some reasons I regret to omit incidents outside of the
history of Toronto, as everything connected with the British
2
10 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Empire is becoming more and more a part of Canadian history,
and interwoven with it ; and the astonishing progress of the
Dominion and its increasingly close connection with all the
sister colonies, and the prospect of commercial union amongst
the whole with each other and the mother land, would form
an interesting volume in itself, while reminiscences of travels,
extending over many years, are also a tempting field to enter,
but space will not permit.
There are gifted individuals who, having made a trip across
the Atlantic, and "run through" from Liverpool to London, then
over the Continent, and perhaps gone round the world in ninety
days, have the faculty of writing so easily, that on their return
home they write a book ; but the present writer makes no pre-
tensions to such literary ability, although, from an average of
travels of 10,000 miles a year, by sea and land, for many years,
materials might be furnished for such a purpose.
One could tell of passages made in nearly all the old Cunard
Royal Mail steamers — the Asia, Africa, Arabia, America,
Europa, Niagara and Persia, the last of the ocean paddle-
wheel steamers crossing the Atlantic (the Scotia only excepted);
with recollections of the celebrated Commanders, who had the
proud boast of never having lost a life — Lott, Stone, Leitch,
Harrison, Shannon, and Commodore Judkins ; also of the
splendid steamers of the Inman Line, then of our own Allan
Line, and occasional trips. in the "White Star; " of hairbreadth
'scapes from rocks and icebergs, of storms and winds, from
the gentle zephyr through all the gradations of ships' " log "
record — light and strong breezes, half gales and whole gales,
thunder storms, hurricanes, and tremendous hurricanes, with an
occasional cyclone, described by a writer as " a magnificent
scene. The whole ocean, from the central speck on which
he stood to the vast vanishing circle of the horizon, as one
boundless, boiling cauldron.
" Millions of waves simultaneously leaping in thunder from
the abyss and rearing themselves into blue mountain peaks,
capped with white foam and sparkling in the sunlight for a
moment, to be swallowed up in the darkness of the roaring
INTRODUCTORY. 11
deep the next. A lashing, tossing, heaving, falling, foaming,
glancing rise and fall of liquid mountain sand valleys, awful,
but ravishing, to look upon."
And then might turn to beautiful, calm weather, pleasant
company, music, games, mock trials; splendid bills of fare — four
meals a day, with every delicacy that money could procure ;
refined society, comprising distinguished statesmen, ambassadors
with their suites, celebrated divines and historians, poets and
men of leisure, merchant princes and buyers, representing all
the large mercantile houses, some of the best patrons of the
ocean steamers; also of people of all nationalities, English, Irish,
Scotch, American, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Turks,
Spaniards, Russians, and Japanese ; of the hardships of the
steerage as well as the luxury of the saloon ; all of which might
make a readable volume.
In the hands of the distinguished novelist, Wilkie Collins,
whom I have heard read from his own works in this city, the
facts with which I could furnish him might be woven into a
romance equal in interest to the " Woman in White."
The inimitable Dickens, whom I have also heard, and by
whose tombstone — which, amongst the numberless monuments
in the Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey, in memory of the
great poets, essayists, novelists and dramatists in past centuries,
is most remarkable for its plainness, and without any epitaph
but " Dickens " — I afterwards stood, could have produced out
of the materials a book quite as true to life as " Martin
Chuzzlewit."
Or the lamented Hugh Conway might have given to the
world another volume quite as popular as " Called Back ; " but
simple facts and " a plain, unvarnished tale " are all that are
offered in these pages.
A residence for several years in Lancashire, with an oppor-
tunity of seeing the working of the 'principle of Free Trade;
afterwards six years' travelling through the United States, and
sending large orders to be shipped from England to the prin-
cipal cities, from Baltimore to St. Louis, in the face of a tariff
which averaged 60 per cent., and watching the growth of the
!2 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
manufacturing industries during that time ; and, in addition to
all this, the experience of an importer to Toronto, with a tariff
gradually increasing from 12 J to 25 per cent., ought to furnish
some valuable information.
But in writing on the growth and progress of Toronto, it is
best to allow every person to draw his own conclusions as to
whether our city has been benefited by the multiplication of
manufacturing establishments, as well as to the question of
how far she is indebted to the present policy for their success.
To go over the ground taken by those who so ably and
beautifully described the progress of Toronto in its civic and
political phases during the
SEMI-CENTENNIAL
from 1834 to 1884, would be quite superfluous. The programme
of the celebration itself forms a splendid record of the events
which transpired during that period.
The grand tableaux in the daily processions, illustrating the
progress of the city, from the rude and uncivilized to the high
state of refinement at the present time, were most striking and
impressive.
If, however, the growth and progress of Toronto as an im-
porting centre has been given, the writer has never seen it,
and yet, in this respect, there are distinct marks of contrast
between the present and the past which are not only striking
but marvellous.
Perhaps, with the exception of London and Chicago, no other
city in the world has made such rapid strides in the march of
progress, and this it will be my endeavor to show to the best.
of my ability.
Passing over early experiences in Dublin, before recorded,
and as the question of emigration shall be rather prominently
discussed, it may not be out of place to state the causes which
led to the writer's choice of Toronto as a place of residence, and
of his coming to America in the first place, all of which will
appear in the first chapter on Emigration.
INTRODUCTORY. 13
"\
Emigration.
Who should emigrate ? This is a question much more easily
asked than answered. The best answer appears to be, " those
who are obliged to do so."
If this be so, and America has been peopled with those who
.have come from every country in Europe, how does it happen
that there is on every hand such an accumulation of wealfch ?
Was all this acquired by people who came here, not from
choice, but of necessity ?
If so, the possession and use of brain and muscle must have
stood in good stead in the absence of other capital.
And yet the rule is that few, if any, do leave the Old
Country from choice ; and none who are really doing well at
home should emigrate with the expectation of doing better, no
matter what their occupation or profession may be.
But those who are not doing well, who find it difficult, with
an increasing family, to keep up appearances, and find it neces-
sary to make a change, may safely emigrate with a fair pros-
pect of improving their condition.
If these pages should meet the eye of any young man wish-
ing to know about Canada, and Toronto in particular, he may
be able to form a pretty correct opinion of the chances of
success from the facts stated.
No doubt that in proportion to the population the failures in
business in America are more numerous than in Great Britain,
especially if the figures of mercantile agencies can be relied on.
But if a city can grow in wealth and prosperity like Toronto,
in a comparatively short time, as no city in the Old Country
(London always excepted) is doing, it is dear that sortie must
become rich where, on the whole, so much has been accumulated.
There are exceptions to the rule as to emigration. Some do
leave home who are well to do, but have some ulterior object
in the future as to the settlement of their families.
The hope of doing better for one's self in a new country, the
dreams of youth, and correspondence with friends, with the
14 TORONTO "CALLED BACK.
love of novelty and, perhaps, adventure, influence many young
men.
Having gained an excellent position by remaining in the
house of Pim Bros. & Co., from its establishment, while about
2,000 young men had come and gone, and being one of the two
who alone remained of the original founders, when we had
decided to leave for America the heads of the firm were in-
credulous at first, but finding our decision was made, the lead-
ing partner used all his persuasion to induce us to remain,
telling us we would " cry salt tears " when we found ourselves
in America.
But all to no purpose, we had determined to find out for
ourselves what America was like.
In the meantime addresses of regret and good wishes were
prepared and signed by hundreds of our companions in the
business, and arrangements made for a presentation supper at
considerable expense.
The writer, having conscientious objections to these festive
occasions, which generally ended in over-indulgence, with much
regret at offending his friends, declined the intended honor,
and all his subsequent experience has confirmed his opinion
that he acted rightly in his decision.
A volume could be written on this subject. Having heard all
the celebrated temperance lecturers in England and America,
including Mr. John B. Gough and Hon. Neal Dow, also
Cardinal Manning, Sir Wilfred Lawson, Wm. Lloyd Garrison,
Dr. Rees, and a host of others, I can say, I never heard a
statement of the evil effects of intemperance exaggerated, but
have seen instances as terrible as any they have related in
actual life.
Where are the 2,000 young men with whom I associated in
one house alone ? The history of many I know, but cannot enter
more fully into the subject. When the question of temperance
is growing to be of such intense interest in Canada and in
Toronto, and the future merchants, manufacturers, and bankers
of the city are to take part in the movement, the writer, who
can safely say he has come into actual contact with more busi-
INTRODUCTORY. 15
ness young men in Great Britain and America than any other
man in Toronto, gives it as his deliberate opinion, that nothing
short of total abstinence is a safeguard against evil conse-
quences, whether travelling or at home.
The reception of various addresses from societies and friends,
in a quiet way, wound up my connection with the beautiful
city, which I have never missed an opportunity of visiting,
when time has permitted, on my business journeys to Britain.
Departure for New York.
"Isle of Beauty, fare thee well."
On the 17th of March, 1847, our party of five, and a man-
servant who accompanied one of our friends, sailed from Liver-
pool in the ship Sheridan, Captain Cornish, of the " Dramatic "
Line — the other three being called respectively the Garrick,
Roscius and Siddons.
Not being pressed for time, we had decided to come by a
sailing vessel, and, as far as the writer is concerned, it was the
first and last experience in that line.
When time becomes money it does not pay to roll on the
deep from side to side, in the most beautiful weather, in a
dead calm for days together.
The voyage was devoid of interest and very unlike any of
my after passages in steamers. The cabin passengers were
few, and those of the steerage had a hard time. The Captain,
being a harsh man, thought nothing of kicking them should
they trespass on the after part of the deck, where they would
sometimes lie down to get away from the surroundings of the
forecastle.
Had we been in a hurry the passage would have been a
terrible tax on our patience. Now terrific storms, with thun-
der's roll and lightning's flash — and so vivid was the lightning,
that from pitch darkness the sea, as far as the eye could reach,
was suddenly lit up so as to appear like an ocean of flame.
Again followed a dead calm, with a ground-swell so heavy that
16 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
in the roll the nmrnyards would dip in the water; the rolling
so violent that standing was impossible, and many a fearful
pitch took place.
When sea-sickness had done its work amongst the steerage
passengers, the natural passion for a fight soon showed itself
amongst our Hibernian friends.
The Munster and Connaught men soon got up a good old-
fashioned faction fight, perhaps to illustrate the beauties of
" Home Rule " on the " rolling deep."
So at it they went, hammer, tongs and shillelahs, pitching
each other down the hatchways, head over heels. Matters
having become serious, the sailors thought it time to spoil the
sport. Handspikes, from " heaving " the capstan were heaved
to some purpose, and the Irishmen soon beat a retreat.
The most remarkable incident of the voyage was having
spoken a vessel one hundred days out from Ireland, short of
provisions, which were liberally supplied from our ship.
And so twenty-six days passed, and, the land appearing in
sight, we soon arrived in New York.
First Impressions of New York.
"Hail! Columbia."
Our youthful dreams of this city represented it metaphori-
cally as having its streets lined with orange trees and paved
with gold, but this illusion was soon dispelled. \
From Liverpool docks — six miles in length and having
twenty-four miles of dockage, with massive gates set in ever-
lasting granite — to the wooden wharves of New York, must
strike the eye of every one arriving there as a wonderful con-
trast.
On reaching the dock over piles of merchandise and emi-
grants' baggage, we found ourselves in a sea of mud. One of
our party, on taking " soundings," reported a depth of twelve
inches in the middle of the street.
On our way to the hotel we were struck with the melancholy
INTRODUCTORY. 17
appearance of the private streets — long lines of houses, having
green outside shutters all closed, without the appearance of a
flower-pot, or the face of a chambermaid airing curtains or
looking out, presented a striking contrast to scenes so familiar
just left behind, when wall flowers and crocuses were blooming,
and where windows were opened every morning all the year
round.
It being now the middle of April, we expected spring
weather, and feeling hearty after the sea voyage, enjoyed the
fresh air. Our astonishment on reaching a hotel was very
great to find the guests crowded round a stove, nearly red hot,
all very grave, ruminant, expectorant and whittling. Our
appearance soon attracted attention, and remarks were made
as to the freshness of our complexion (a compliment we could
not truthfully return), and we were informed that they "guessed"
(the first time we had heard the word so applied) we would
not be long in the country before we should lose all that high
color. Not at all anxious to adopt the sallow shade, we were
by no means encouraged, and having made necessary arrange-
ments, and feeling uncomfortable with the sickening heat,
rushed out of doors to get relief ; and never for the week we
remained in the city did we venture again near one of those
health-destroying inventions.
The stoves and heating arrangements of the present time are
entirely different, and in every way adapted to the climate.
We soon found that to see Broadway, including A. T. Stewart's
marble store and Barnum's Museum, was to see New York.
A. T. Stewart's was very fine in marble, and the inside
arrangements were very superior, but the system of doing
business did not appear to us as perfect as that we had just left.
We were struck with the signs of "Dry Goods Store," "Flour
and Feed," " Help Wanted," etc., none of which we had seen
before, and had to enquire what they meant. We found that
" helps" meant servants, and as there were no masters, the
term " boss," which we have never yet known the meaning of,
was used to distinguish what in the Old Country is known
by the other familiar term.
18 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
On enquiring as to the police, none of that class appearing
to us on the streets, we were told they might be known by the
wearing of a small metal badge fastened to the collar of the
coat, with the stars and stripes and " E pluribus unum" in-
scribed upon it, and further, that no man in the country could
be found to wear a uniform.
This accounted for the entire absence of anything in the
shape of livery on the coachmen.
To wear a livery button or cockade would be derogatory to
the dignity of men who were all equal.
The ladies on the streets were invisible as to their faces, each
having a green woollen barege veil tightly drawn over the face.
The appearance. of Astor House illuminated, on the night of
our arrival, as seen from the Park opposite, was very fine.
This was effected by a candle being placed in every pane of
glass in the whole building, and the name " Taylor " in gas
over the principal entrance. This we found was in celebration
of one of General Taylor's victories in Mexico.
The experience of our first morning at the hotel did not alter
the unfavorable impression of the previous day.
According to our usual custom, our boots were left outside
our doors, pretty well coated with mud, and on taking them in
found them just in the same condition. In reply to our enquiries
why they were not cleaned, we were told, if we required that
labor performed we must make a special contract with a person
that they would send ; the arrangement was made accordingly.
The cheery voice of the English chambermaid, as she knocked
at the door and called "hot water, sir," with boots which might
serve as a mirror, by the application of " Day and Martin's "
blacking, were all sadly missed.
Breakfast was announced by the ringing of a bell, when we
found what was to us a novel bill of fare. The selections by
the guests were chiefly in the shape of mush, buckwheat cakes,
pickles and green tea, while we were satisfied with old-fashioned
ham-and-eggs and coffee. The solemnity of the proceedings
was quite remarkable ; so far we had not seen the shadow of a
smile on any one's countenance. Having got through we found
INTRODUCTORY. 19-
all the other guests had long since disappeared, and then, with-
out giving offence, we gave full vent to our feelings by hearty
bursts of laughter, and the mutual exclamation, "And this is
America ! " How different from all our expectations !
On Sunday we observed in the churches notices that gentle-
men were " not to spit in the pews," and the clergymen during
the service made free use of the " cuspadores."
But "tempora, mutantur et nos mutamur in illis." We
have lived to see the millionaires and aristocrats of New York
vie with the " creme de la crdme " of London society, and the
Central Park equipages, including crests and mottoes, with
livery of every hue, rivalling Rotten Row and the carriage
drives in Hyde Park ; while a four-in-hand coaching club
copies the style, as far as the roads will admit, of the Brighton,
Club of noblemen in London.
Touching crests and mottoes, a story is told of the celebrated
Lundy Foot, manufacturer of the snuffs known all over the
world as "Irish Blackguard" and other remarkable brands,
known only to the writer by enjoying many a good sneeze in
passing the mill near Essex Bridge.
When Mr. Foot first got a carriage, he adopted as a motto
beneath the family crest, the Latin words, " Quid rides ? " —
why do you laugh ? On his first appearance, the Dublin street
boys, quick to catch a new idea and enjoy a joke, taking the
words in their English orthography, set up the cheer, " Quid
rides ! Quid rides ! "
The upper ten of New York, no doubt, are more careful in-
the selection of their mottoes.
To see New York to-day is to see an almost entirely new
city. Some of the old buildings, as the Astor House and City
Hall, remain, but the magnificent warehouses on Broadway and
adjacent streets are unsurpassed in the world, and nearly all
have been built since that time.
A. T. Stewart's fine store was latterly turned into a wholesale
warehouse, and the magnificent new marble block, bounded by
10th and llth Streets and Broadway and the Bowery, a perfect
20 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
palace, was opened as the great retail house of America, and
altogether the finest in the world.
The hotels, for magnificence, are of world-wide fame, while
Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, the great reservoirs at -42nd
and 150th Streets, the Grand Central Depot, all so often
described, are now striking objects of interest.
The splendid private residences, of 5th Avenue especially.
are magnificent in style and finish.
Prom New York to Toronto.
By night steamer on the Hudson River the travelling was
very fine and comfortable. The steamer Isaac Newton, then
called a floating palace, landed us at Albany. The New York
Central to Rochester and Buffalo was then taken. The rails
consisted of a plain plate of iron fastened to, the sleepers with
iron spikes. We were informed, that for one of these plates to
start at one end and obtrude itself into the car, to the danger
of life and limb, was a matter of common occurrence.
We escaped this danger and arrived safely at Rochester,
where, for the first time, we noticed frame houses and plank
sidewalks, with both of which we soon became familiar. Arriv-
ing, via Buffalo, at the Falls — the station at Buffalo consisting
of the open firmament above and the street below — we took up
our abode at the American Hotel, from which we were to make
our first visit to Canada.
The ice was coming down from Lake Erie in great masses,
and the only means of crossing was a small ferry-boat, which
took passengers across to the landing below the Clifton House.
On inquiry we found that this boat had not crossed for several
days, and it was quite uncertain when any attempt would be
made. The ice became more and more massed, forming the
usual bridge.
Having waited for several days, the ice at length began to
move, when the ferryman asking us if we would risk the cross-
ing, we consented. The ice at this time was floating in large
packs ; so off we started, with two oarsmen, and with one foot
INTRODUCTORY. 21
on the ice and one in the boat they pushed the boat by main
force through. To have been carried a hundred yards below the
landing would have sealed our doom, but having worked our
way through we placed our feet for the first time on Canadian
soil. Having executed this dangerous navigation we soon
tasted the pleasures of land travelling.
The stage for St. Catharines was soon ready, and we shortly
found ourselves " at sea " on dry land.
Having driven a long distance on what we thought was a
field or common, there being no sign of hedge or fence visible,
we enquired when we should reach a road. With a smile of
s 'lf-complacency and a look of pity for our freshness or ver-
dancy, the driver informed us we had been on the main road
all the time. It so happened that the year before, being the
year of the memorable potato famine in Ireland, the Govern-
ment had spent immense sums in making and repairing roads,
to give employment to the people, the consequence of which was
the greatest perfection in road-making ; and without exaggera-
tion, the worst road you could find was infinitely better than
any we saw for years afterwards, not excepting the city macad-
amized streets. We soon found, however, that to mention this
to our driver only subjected us to his contempt.
Our driver appeared to think " the lines " had fallen to him
in pleasant places, and was quite satisfied with the state of
things ; while the writer, years after, on handling " the lines "
(as Americans say for reins) over mud, slush, old planks and
corduroy, found it incumbent to drive from his memory the
smooth roads, hawthorn hedges, and the beauties of highly
cultivated landscapes left behind, and think only of farms
without rent, and the real necessaries of life enjoyed so abun-
dantly, in this land where the inhabitants possess truly a
" goodly heritage."
ST. CATHARINES
was reached at length, and here we rested for the night, and
the next afternoon started with four good horses in the Mail
Stage for Hamilton.
22 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
To attempt a description of this journey as it appeared to us
at the time would only result in failure.
With both hands we grasped the seat to save our heads from
bumping against the top of the conveyance, and many times
when we got into a deep rut we had to use rails from the
fence to pry the wheels out. And so at two o'clock on Sunday
morning, covered with mud and thoroughly exhausted, we
reached Weekes' Hotel, the clerk at the time being Mr. Riley,
so long and well known afterwards in Toronto in connection
with the firm of Eiley & May, of the Revere House, now the
Kensington Hotel.
Having been regular church-goers, we were in our places in
the red brick Wesleyan Church on John Street, at eleven o clock,
and soon found we were on British soil and amongst our own
countrymen, under the same Queen and flag. Here we soon
found friends, and myself relatives, the first day, and with the
natural longing for old familiar faces when far away from
home, we walked ten miles to Copetown to see a family with
whom we had been acquainted in Dublin, and were amply
repaid for our visit. Again taking the regular Mail Stage, we
arrived in Toronto, after a tedious ride, and put up at Mac-
donald's Hotel, King Street, then the best in the city.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 185T.
First Impressions of Toronto.
Our first view from the door of Macdonald's Hotel, which
stood on the site of the present Romain buildings, did not give
us a favorable impression of the town. From near Bay Street
to the corner of York was an immense vacant space rilled with
rubbish, and at the back a dirty lane, now Pearl Street, with a
few of what we for the first time 'heard of by the name of
" shanties."
Walking eastward as far as the Market, and, returning to
Yonge Street, proceeding as far north as Queen, we found we
had, so far as business was concerned, seen Toronto, with the
exception of a few wholesale warehouses to the south of King.
Having never seen a view of Toronto, except one which
appeared a short time before in the London Illustrated News,.
our expectations were not of a very sanguine character, — that
view representing the " City " of Toronto something like what
a view of Oakville might be at the present time. Why it
should be called a city was something we could not 'quite
understand, as even towns in Canada lately honored with that
appellation are far superior in architecture to what Toronto
was at that time, — such cities as Guelph, Brantford and London
having kept pace with the improvements which have taken
place in the intervening years.
Everything appeared flat, dull, uninteresting, and especially
unfinished. Not a single point of attractiveness could we
3
26 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
discover in or about the place, although we were quite taken
with the people.
The contrast between the city we had left and Toronto was
most depressing, and grew more marked as we viewed the
outskirts. Having letters from friends, we soon found a cordial
welcome to several homes, which went a great way to reconcile
us to the place.
On enquiry, we found, rather to our surprise, that there were
two churches having organs, something we had not expected
to find: one was in the old Cathedral and the other in the
Richmond Street Wesley an Church.
On being introduced to Rev. Messrs. Cooney and Harvard
by letters, the former took us with pride to see the new church'
on Richmond Street, now enclosed in the Wesley Buildings. It
then stood on an almost vacant lot, there being no building
between it and Bay Street.
On entering he pointed with a good deal of satisfaction to
the fine organ, which stood behind the pulpit at the time. We
attended divine service on the following Sunday, when Mr.
Cooney preached, and were much interested. The musical
portion of the service was very pleasing and effective. A wrell-
known ex-alderman of the city at the present time was leader
of the tenors, and the writer has a distinct recollection of his
flexible voice as he glided from tenor to counter-tenor, and
occasionally appeared imperceptibly to run into a falsetto,
which added much to the harmony and contributed very
greatly to the general effect.
We were equally pleased in the old Cathedral. The beauti-
fully composed and impressively delivered sermons of the Rev.
Mr. Grasett were such as should never be forgotten, while the
music was of a very high order.
During the week we had an opportunity of visiting some of
the retail stores, the principal of which were Betley & Kay's,
corner of King and Yonge Streets ; Walker and Hutchinson's,
P. Patterson's, and Walter McFarlane's.
My friend and companion of seven years, dropping into
Betley & Kay's, was immediately offered a situation, which he
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 27
accepted, much to my surprise, as we had not decided to remain
in Toronto at the time ; and here my loneliness commenced.
My destination was- Brockville, where I intended to go, hav-
ing a letter from my grand-uncle (and his uncle) to the Hon.
George Crawford, who was to advise me as to my future move-
ments.
The unwillingness to part with my friend, and the unsolicited
offer of a situation, also on King Street, with the desire to have
a rest after so much travelling, led to my acceptance of the
offer, and so we entered on our new career.
To compare the business of King Street in 1892 with what
it was in 1847 could give no conception of the difference which
it may be imagined we found after leaving the business already
described.
The prospect of its being only temporary alone made it at all
endurable, while it gave time to arrange plans for the future,
and get some knowledge of the mode of doing business before
deciding where to choose as a future field of operation. The
want of system in showing goods, the bantering about price,
and the lack of customers, made it tiresome beyond description.
Here we first became acquainted with the habit of
" SHOPPING,"
either for amusement or for comparison of prices before pur-
chasing. The custom was almost universal to go from Yonge
Street to the Market before deciding on what or where to buy.
The common expression was : " We will look around, and return
if not better suited elsewhere." At the same time the anxiety
to press sales was painfully apparent, the offer of a reduction
in price being the principal inducement held out.
This of course led to exaggeration, and often misrepresenta-
tion, and was altogether demoralizing to both seller and buyer.
The few houses named were, I believe, exceptional in this
respect, and were the first to introduce the " one price " system.
In consideration of my previous experience, the principal of
the business, in which I had made a temporary engagement,
28 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
immediately took charge of a customer where any deviation
from the marked price was asked, well knowing that on no
account would I condescend to such a practice.
The arguments of friends to induce us to settle in Toronto
were drawn more from the absence of the rudeness and incon-
venience that existed before we were born, or the wonderful
future that lay before the city, than from any especially
attractive features the present afforded.
Amusements and entertainments there were scarcely any.
There was the old Mechanics' Institute, where the present
police court now stands — then a dirty lane, — where a subscriber
could read books or papers. This, and the auction room of
Wrilliam Wakefield (now Oliver, Coate & Co.), who, by his
genial humor and English physiognomy, did all in his power to
entertain his customers, were about the only places of resort of
an evening.
And so summer came on, and recollections of botanical and
private gardens, pHrks, squares, delightful suburbs, music,
lectures, literary entertainments, all crowded on one's memory
to make the contrast painful.
Suburbs there were none, except Yorkville, then an embryo
village with a few scattered houses, the best being the residence
of Mr. Bloor, which still remains. As no resident of Toronto
went there except on business, the journey was not often
undertaken.
Toronto business men lived either over their stores, or on
some street south of Queen.
Our first tour of exploration in the outskirts was along Carl-
ton Street from Yonge, then a clay road without houses or
sidewalks. Having got as far as the present Homewood
Avenue, we found a small gate-house, and on entering the
wicket discovered a natural pathway through a thick pine
grove. Proceeding north we reached the house now occupied
by Homer Dixon, Esq., and finding further progress that way,
or egress, impossible, retraced our steps.
Our next adventure was along Bloor Street east to the
present cemetery fence, and thence backwards again; and these
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 29
for a time constituted our only recreation grounds, except the
College Avenue.
In taking a morning or an afternoon walk, there was the
absence of many pleasing objects so familiar in former every-
day life. The " wee crimson-tippit " flowers that covered the
pasture fields like a carpet ; the banks of primroses, buttercups
and violets abounding by every roadside; the double line of
hawthorns, whose blossoms perfumed the air with their deli-
cious fragrance, and the honeysuckle and wall-flowers in every
lane ; the meadows, thick with May flowers, all were missed
during this first summer in Toronto. For the hedgerows we
found the unsightly snake fence, and for the evergreens of
holly, laurel and ivy, the everlasting, monotonous pines, good
for use but not very ornamental.
The study of this class of " flora " no doubt might be inter-
esting to those who studied the subject from a utilitarian point
of view, and the smaller species jnight have been discovered by
an adventurous descent down the ravine to where the river
Don flowed in its native beauty ; and some ferns and beautiful
wild flowers might have been discovered, very interesting to
students in botany ; but to the casual observer these beautiful
objects were at that time conspicuous by their absence.
Along Church Street, any summer's afternoon, especially in
a swamp at the north-east corner of the present beautiful
Normal School grounds, could be heard the music of a frogs'
concert, accompanied at a short distance with the tintinabula-
tion of the bells on the necks of the cows which roamed
through the browny-green pastures and amongst the thick
bush which prevailed east of Church and north of Queen
Streets. These sounds were further augmented by the cackling
of flocks of geese, which, in their amphibious character, had
their choice of both native elements.
The song of the lark, the thrush, the blackbird and goldfinch,
so familiar before, was no more heard ; the buzz of the bumble-
bee, and the whirr of the numerous insects that abounded in
the bush, being the only substitute.
Apart from its political history, which has been given so
30 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
repeatedly, Toronto possessed no points of interest beyond
what any town on the shore of Lake Ontario possesses at the
present time, except that she had made a step in advance and
outgrown them in population and trade. »
The young friends with whom we became acquainted, and
whose ideas were circumscribed by the visible horizon, would
not admit of the superiority of any other place in any respect.
If you spoke of London, Dublin, or New York as great places,
you were immediately met with the question, " Was not
Toronto also a city ? " And the statement that she had one
street forty miles long extinguished all your arguments and left
them masters of the situation.
When it is borne in mind that at that time Toronto, as far
as intercourse with the outer world was concerned, was far
more isolated than is Regina to-day, it will be admitted that
these young people had a pretty good conceit of the place.
i
Toronto in 1847.
To give an idea of the general appearance of Toronto at that
time, it may assist the imagination to conceive of all its present
attractions being removed, and all the improvements that have
taken place still unanticipated.
To do this it will be necessary, commencing with the Island,
to remove every building there at present, leaving the light-
house, Privat's Hotel, which then stood near the present gap,
and two or three fishermen's huts at the West Point.
Crossing the Bay, the whole Esplanade must be taken away,
leaving two or three wharves with a ragged edge of stagnant
water between.
The whole of the railway tracks, with all buildings and
stations, must next disappear.
Coming north, all the block, stone, wood and asphalt pave-
ments ; all the street railway tracks ; all telegraph and tele-
phone poles and wires, except a single line to Hamilton
and Montreal ; all the gas lamps except about a hundred ;
all the electric lights; all the water hydrants except about
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 31
twelve ; all that are called " modern conveniences," which are
now considered indispensable in every house ; the suburbs of
Brockton, Parkdale, Seaton Village, Riverside, Leslieville,
Eglinton, Deer Park, Davisville and Toronto Junction ; all the
streets norfch of Queen and west of John — leaving some scat-
tered houses outside these limits — except Yonge and Church
Streets.
As it is supposed there are at present 40,000 houses in the
city and suburbs, you must imagine 36,500 of these taken away,
leaving 3,500 as composing the entire city at that time. From
these 3,500 you may deduct 2,500 of frame and rough-cast
houses, leaving 1,000 of a better class ; from which again, if you
take 500 two-storey red brick, you have 500 which comprised
all the best buildings, including churches, banks and private
residences, the best of the latter being those at present on Bay
Street, and a few detached mansions scattered over tfte city.
To complete the picture must be added the absence of every
shade tree — except those on College Avenue — which now adorns
and beautifies the city ; every flower- bed and conservatory, and
in stores all plate-glass windows.
In addition to all this you have to conceive of 170,000 of the
population being left out, and some idea may be formed of
Toronto in 1847.
At this time only three of the present churches were in
existence : the Power Street Roman Catholic, St. George's
Episcopalian, and Little Trinity. The others that were then
built have either been burned down, or removed to give place
to present structures, amongst which are the St. James'
Cathedral, which has taken the place of the old one burned in
1849, and Knox Church, on the site of the old one burned in
1847.
Not one of the banks or large insurance buildings ; none of
the wholesale houses as they now appear ; none of the benevo-
lent institutions, then existed ; and none of the public schools
or colleges except Upper Canada College.
Front Street occupied the same relative position to the Bay
as the Esplanade does at present.
32 TORONTO "CALLED BACK.''
There were no buildings on the south side except the old
Custom House, and only a few scattered along on the north
side, leaving the view of the Bay uninterrupted.
There was a skating-rink near where the Custom House now
^tands.
Going westward from Yonge Street, on the north side of
Front, where the warehouse of Messrs. McMaster & Co. now
stands, was the residence of Judge Macauley ; next that of
Judge Jones ; further west the residence of Mr. Joseph Rogers,
and at the corner of Bay Street was the Baldwin mansion.
Where the Queen's Hotel now stands Capt. Thomas Dick had
four dwellings; these afterwards were used as Knox College,
and subsequently were turned into a hotel kept by Mr. Swords.
Holland House, in the rear, on Wellington Street, lately the
residence of ex-Mayor Manning, and afterwards the Reform
Club, and which was built in 1832 by Hon. Henry John
Boulton, and from its peculiar style of architecture, sometimt s
called " The Castle," was occupied by Mr. Boulton at this time.
At York Street corner, a picturesque cottage was the residence
of Capt. Strachan, son of the Bishop of Toronto, whose palace
adjoined, with the entrance on Front Street. This building is
now a boarding-house.
Turning up Simcoe to corner of Wellington you saw the
Hagerman mansion, and returning eastward on Wellington, the
little white house lately occupied by Mr. Mercer, standing by
itself at the corner of Bay,, where magnificent warehouses now
stand.
When Toronto was first settled most of the buildings were
erected at the upper end of the Bay, towards the river Don,
and it was generally supposed that the east end would become
the principal part of the city. As the buildings were extended,
however, they began to creep westward and northward.
The town in its young days was much scattered, the roads
were bad, and communication between distant portions of the
town, at least in certain seasons of the year, was difficult ; in
consequence, houses of business were started at each extremity,
which, in some cases, realized to their owners handsome profits.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 33
As the town increased the footpaths were improved, business
became more concentrated, and at this time was almost con-
fined to the space between York Street and the Market, and it
was doubtful whether, if the best store were removed to either
extremity, it would do a paying business. The necessary con-
sequence of this state of things was that the value of property
and rents within the limits mentioned had risen enormously.
In the absence of street railways the few travellers who had
occasion to reach the steamboats in summer (in winter the
stages called for passengers at their houses) were limited for
accommodation to a few old-fashioned one-horse cabs, owned by
well-known drivers, and the number of horses and vehicles of
all kinds was so small as to make it an easy matter for any
inquisitive person to know the owner of every particular turn-
out in town.
The only city omnibus at this time was one that ran to
Yorkville every hour, and a ride in this was not very exhilar-
ating at certain seasons, especially when the frost was breaking
up. The jolting was terrific, but as few or none of the Toronto
people lived in Yorkville, there was not much travel up or
down.
An hourly omnibus started from the Market to Parliament
Street, but it did not pay and was soon discontinued.
The question of meat being an important one, it may be
stated, from actual experience, that after repeated endeavors to
masticate the beefsteaks, my young friend and myself came to
the conclusion that, having heard that oxen were employed in
the country for ploughing and other purposes, the Toronto
market was supplied with beef from their carcasses after their
usefulness as living animals had departed- The supply of
vegetables was excellent.
Gossip.
The extent to which regard for local boundaries, customs,
and every-day chit-chat is sometimes carried, can only be
realized in a small town.
34 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
At home, in this nook, all life is lived under minute inspec-
tion of neighbors, and perhaps the unavoidable supervision of
parson and squire.
The fierce light that beats upon the throne is not clearer
than that which exhibits the young man "sowing his wild
oats." He sins under a microscope, and the professional gossip
finds rich material for the next social or tea-party by placing
him under the instrument for the general entertainment of the
company, and so the engagement of lovers is discussed as
earnestly as if each person were personally or directly interested
in the result of every matrimonial arrangement.
In 1847 Toronto had not outgrown the habits which charac-
terize the country town. The gossip which prevails where
every person knows^all about the business and social life of his
neighbors, was still noticeable, and the absence of all foreign
news, oftener than once a fortnight, gave a local character to
the general topics of conversation.
Every birth, marriage and death furnished material for dis-
cussion in every family circle, and very much as it is on board
ship, out at sea, the most trivial matters were invested with
exaggerated importance.
On Sundays, generally, three carriages could be seen at St.
James' Cathedral, and a good deal of rivalry existed between
the owners of two out of three, in the style of the appoint-
ments, the coachmen's livery, and horses and harness; their
appearance on driving from church was a standing topic at
almost every dinner-table ; the dresses of the ladies coming
in for a full share of the criticism, of course of a good-natured
character.
The arrival of the English mail, once a fortnight, created a
pleasing diversion for a time from the monotony of daily life.
The news telegraphed from New York ahead of the mails was
given in a condensed form, in printed "extras," which were
issued by the newspaper people ; there being no second edition
of papers as at present.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 35
Street Pavements.
So much has been written on the condition of the streets of
Toronto, that the subject has become monotonous, and as in
1892 it still continues to engage a large amount of public
attention, nothing will be said in this connection from personal
observation, the writer preferring to quote the descriptions of a
few other parties, some of which were written prior to 1847.
The first is that of a lady, ten years previously, Mrs. Jamie-
son, wife of Vice-Chancellor Jamieson.
This lady, whose name is pleasantly familiar to lovers of art
and literature, was for some time a resident of Toronto. She
reached the city by way of New York, Albany and Queenston,
towards the end of 1836.
Her husband, then Attorney-General, had been a resident for
several years, but she arrived unexpectedly, and he was not
there to meet her.
When she stepped from the boat her foot sank ankle deep in
the mud, and there being no conveyance at hand she was
compelled to walk through the muddy, uninviting streets to
her husband's residence near the foot of Brock Street.
It was during her abode here that she wrote her " Winter
Studies " and " Summer Rambles." She describes the city as
it appeared in winter :
" What Toronto may be in summer I cannot tell ; they say it
is a pretty place. At present its appearance to me, a stranger,
is most strangely mean and melancholy. A little ill-built town,
on low land at the bottom of a frozen bay, with one very ugly
church without tower or steeple, some government offices, built
of staring red brick, in the most tasteless and vulgar style
imaginable ; three feet of snow all around, and the grey, sullen
wintry lake, with the dark gloom of the pine forest bounding
the prospect — such seems Toronto to me now."
As a set-off to this desponding account, she admits that some
of the shop fronts on King Street are rather imposing, and
declares, in a patronizing kind of way, that the front of Beckett's
36 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
(now Hooper & Co.) apothecary shop is worthy of Regent Street
in appearance.
A few words from Sir H. R Bonny castle, in 1845, may be
given. He "was greatly surprised and pleased to see the
alterations since 1837, then not one-third of its present size.
£^ow it is a city in earnest, with upwards of 20,000 inhabitants,
gas lit, with good plank sidewalks, and macadamized streets,
vast sewers and houses of brick or stone. The main street,
King Street, is two miles in length. St. George's church was
built in 1844."
Another writer says : " Few who now stroll down the well-
boarded sidewalks of King Street reflect upon the inconveni-
ences attending this recreation to their sires and grandsires
and granddames, who were compelled to tuck up their garments
and pick their way from tuft to tuft and from stone to stone.
"It was no unusual sight to behold the heavy lumber waggon
sticking fast in the mud, up to the axle, in the very middle of
King Street, opposite to what is now McConkey's refectory.
" The party-going portion of the citizens were content either
to trudge it, or to be shaken in a cart drawn by two sturdy
oxen. The fashionable cry then was ' Mrs. McTavish's cart is
here,' and the ' gee up ' resounded as clearly among the pines
and elms as the glib ' all right ' of the modern footman along
the gas lit street."
Since those days the art of photography has been discovered,
and it is not probable that Mr. Eli Palmer — the only artist of
which Toronto could boast in 1847— could have brought his
camera with the Daguerrean process to bear on Mrs. McTavish's
cart to get a good picture in a conveniently short space of time.
A late number of London Fun thus describes a scene in the
studio of a photographer in that city :
MR. JUGGINS—" Look here, Mr. Photygrapher, 'ow much d'yer
want to take me and the missus and the kids altogether ? "
PHOTOGRAPHER—" Well, I could take a carte of you for five
shillings."
MR. JUGGINS—" Cart be blowed ! Stick us in a waggonette."
No doubt Mrs. McTavish would have preferred a waggonette
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 37
also, and had the art attained its present state of perfection an
instantaneous photograph could have been taken that would
have been quite interesting.
"A little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men."
Mr. Wra. Osborne — who had left Dublin, in consequence of
the failure of the silk trade, when French goods were first
admitted free of duty — was a good specimen of a Dublin gen-
tleman, and amongst other stories about the state of Toronto
streets in former years, related the following, without in any
way vouching for its accuracy :
A gentleman, walking on the loose planks forming a side-
walk on King Street, espied a good-looking hat in the middle
of the street. Curious to see and pick up the hat, he managed
to reach it, and on removing it, discovered to his surprise the
head of a living man underneath.
This individual at once appealed for help and deliverance,
urging, as a special plea, that if prompt assistance was not
rendered, his horse, which was underneath, would certainly
perish.
The usual mode of extrication by the use of shovels and
oxen was soon applied, and man and horse excavated.
This being the climax of exaggeration on this muddy ques-
tion, it must now be dismissed.
Apart from the social enjoyments among friends — and of those
we had a full share — there was nothing, either in the business
or surroundings, to lead to a preference of Toronto to any other
place, when the world was before us where to choose.
In business, the farmers were always complaining about some-
thing. Prices of produce were too low or too high ; the former
from too good crops, and consequent low prices, and the latter
because they had not enough to sell.
The roads were a constant source of complaint, which
appeared to be natural from our little experience of mud and
ruts, and when winter came on they generally had either too-
much snow or too little.
38 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Those leaving home in sleighs, fifty or sixty miles back,
found bare streets, and had a hard time to get back to sleighing-
again.
As my friend and myself had never heard complaints of
roads before, this topic became terribly monotonous, and the
same remark applies to the prices of produce, although in
Toronto a trade of the greatest importance.
There was the prospect of trade increasing by the growth of
towns and villages outside, and the facilities for transport by
water navigation in summer; but as railroads were not thought
of, and there was neither steam nor water power, except what
could be got in the Don river for the latter, and by importing
coal for the former, little was said of manufactures, and the
prospect of their establishment was exceedingly dull.
The prospect of the growth of Toronto — from the two facts
of the great agricultural country at its back, and the harbor
and water communication in the front — led to a decision, and
within a few months of arriving in the country the writer was
in communication with friends in England with a view to
importing a stock of goods, which was successfully accomplished
the next year.
Information as to Toronto in England was not very flattering.
A gentleman had a servant-maid whose brother had enlisted in
a regiment which was subsequently ordered to Canada. While
quartered in Toronto, the young man took to himself a help-
mate, an Anglo-Canadian, who afterwards returned with him
to England. On his arrival at home his sister paid him a
visit. On her return her mistress asked her if she had seen her
new sister ; she replied in the affirmative, adding, " But Lor',
mum, she's not very dark. I thought she'd be black."
As an example of the accuracy of description, Mr. R. Mont-
gomery Martin wrote about this time:— "The country bordering
Lake Ontario is well wooded ; through the numerous openings
the prospect is enlivened by flourishing settlements, the view
being extremely picturesque along the White Cliffs of Toronto, (!)
heightened on the north by the remarkably high land over
Presque Isle, called the Devil's Nose."
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 39
The Toronto Post Office.
In 1847, and up till 1852, the whole business of the Toronto
Post Office was transacted in a small building on Wellington
Street, where the present Imperial Bank now stands. The
delivery office was a room about 20 x 40 feet, and the distribu-
ting room was an old cellar-kitchen some 20 feet square.
The staff up to 1850 consisted of a postmaster, three clerks,
and a letter carrier. The postmaster was Mr. Charles Berczy,
and the clerks, John Armstrong, Christopher Walsh and W. H.
Pearson (now manager of the Consumers' Gas Co.), who suc-
ceeded Geo. H. Wilson, the present accountant of the Bank of
Montreal, in 1847.
John McCloskey was letter carrier, and a charge of one
" copper " was made on each letter delivered by him.
At this time, and up till 1850, the English mails were only
delivered fortnightly — by stage from Halifax in winter, and
partly by steamboats in summer. The rate of postage on
English letters was Is. 2Jd. sterling, or Is. 4d. Halifax currency
(about 27 cents); the postage to Halifax was 2s. 9d. ; Quebec,
Is. 6d. ; Montreal, Is. 2d. ; Kingston, 9d. ; Windsor, lOJd. ; the
lowest rate being 4Jd. *
In 1850 there were only about 400 boxes in the Post
Office.
Postage stamps were at this time unknown, and the postage
on paid letters was written in red ink, and on unpaid in black.
In 1851 the uniform rate of postage was adopted, and postage
stamps introduced.
The only visible representative of Her Majesty on ordinary
occasions was either Mr. Walsh or Mr. Armstrong, who for the
time being combined in themselves the offices of receiving,
delivery and enquiry clerks ; and as every letter must be taken
to the Post Office, these gentlemen were known to every man,
woman and child in Toronto and Yorkville who ever posted a
letter.
The arrival of the English mail, once a fortnight, broke in on
40 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the usual monotony, and brought a rush to the wicket, from
which the delivery, both general and particular, took place.
Up to 1851 the Post Office Department was under the control
of the Imperial Government, which was represented by Mr.
Stayner, but at this time, almost simultaneously with the intro-
duction of the bonding system through the United States, the
business was transferred to the Canadian Government, and the
mails began to arrive once a week, via Boston and New York
alternately. These mails were conveyed in charge of conductors,
of whom there were three — Messrs. McNamee, Malone and
Magillivray — two taking the mails to above ports respectively,
and one extra to supply in case of need. The conductor taking
the outgoing mails, waited at his port for those coming in, and
this system continued for many years. During Mr. Malone's
time of conducting the mails a circumstance occurred, illustrating
the economy of the Government at that day.
The writer, in company with Mr. John Kay, Mr. Patrick
Hughes and three others, on our way from England, accom-
panied the mails from Boston, arriving at Suspension Bridge on
Saturday night too late to connect with the train for Toronto.
Feeling anxious to get home, instead of staying over Sunday at
the Bridge, we telegraphed for a special train to meet us at
Hamilton ; the charge to be forty dollars.
On arriving at Hamilton we found an engine and one car all
ready, and took on board Mr. Malone and the English mails,
with a Roman Catholic clergyman who wished to get to Toronto
with us. To this gentleman we offered a free passage, but
hoped to receive from the Post Office authorities a share of the
cost of the special train. The trip was made within an hour,
perhaps then the " fastest time on record." On the following
Monday one of our party waited on Hon. Mr. Foley, Postmaster-
General, stating the case, and asking for the proportion of the
expense for carrying the mails ; his reply was, that the letters
would have been in quite time enough for the merchants on
Monday morning by first regular train. He did not even con-
sider that Mr. Malone would have had to pay his expenses at a
hotel over Sunday, and so we had to pay the whole bill.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 41
Toronto Gas and Water Works.
In 1841 Mr. James Crapper had been brought out from
London by Mr. Furness, and in the same ship were imported
the gas and water pipes to commence the supplying of the city
with these two great requisites.
In 1847 there may have been altogether about 100 gas lamps,
and at this time the Consumers' Gas Co. was established, on the
principle that the consumers, by taking up the stock, would
themselves get all the benefit. Mr. Henry Thompson sold all
the shares, the writer being one of the first to subscribe. Since
that time the success of the Company is well known.
The water supply was very imperfect, especially in case of
fire, and even up to 1&5Q no arrangement had been made to
keep the city furnished with a constant and adequate supply.
The licensed carters were compelled under a penalty to attend
all fires, for the purpose of conveying water from the Bay in
casks.
As the first who arrived was entitled to two dollars' reward,
these men were in the habit of filling their casks at night, and
carting them to their own houses so as to be ready for a race
at the first sound of the fire alarm.
It was very remarkable, that about this time scarcely a
Saturday or Sunday night passed without a fire taking place.
Some said they occurred opportunely on these nights, because
everybody was at liberty, and the firemen being volunteers,
their occupations were not interfered with ; while others went
so far as to say that the very love for excitement, in some way
to relieve the monotony that prevailed over everything, had led
to the wilful acts of incendiarism, which undoubtedly took
place, but which were all overruled for the growth and general
improvement of the city.
The fire brigade in 1850 consisted of four engine companies,
two hook and ladder and one hose company; Mr. Ashfield
being then the chief engineer.
The old hand engines were not very powerful, and when the
4
42 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
firemen grew tired at the pumping, the law compelled any
bystanders to " lend a hand ; " while many were willing, many
more could be seen taking their departure when there was a
prospect of a " draft " for active service.
There were some remarkable instances of destruction of pro'-
perty, one of which the writer distinctly remembers.
A fire took place in a frame building on King Street, one
door from the corner of Yonge, then occupied by Messrs. Betley
& Kay. The flames from the wooden building were driven by
an easterly wind into the millirieiy and mantle room over the
store of Betley & Kay. On the arrival of the firemen the fine
windows were immediately smashed in with axes, when the
door might have served as well, and when the fire was extin-
guished it was found that a number of fine silk velvet mantles
had been placed at the door of the room to prevent the water
from spreading to other parts of the building.
The Circulating Medium.
In the house I had just left the daily cash sales averaged
£1,000 sterling. This amount was taken in five cashiers' desks,
by boys under sixteen years of age, and the rapidity with which
the change had to be given may be judged from the number of
cheques handed in from about four hundred salesmen.
The coins were farthings, half-pence, pence, sixpences, shil-
lings, half-crowns, crowns, half-sovereigns and sovereigns.
Farthings were strictly charged on all amounts to 2s. 6d., and
no salesman could omit them at 2s. 5fd. The desks have fre-
quently been swept out to find a missing half-penny, as every-
thing must balance. There being no Canadian Silver Currency
at this time, the process of making change out of what was
technically called " specie " was a perfect study. There were
Mexican and United States dollars and half-dollars; United
States 6J, 12 J and 25-cent pieces ; English sixpences, shillings,
half-crowns, with a miscellaneous assortment from every other
country.
Coin and bank note directors were used in every place to
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 43
ascertain the value of the coin and the genuineness of bank
note*, especially those from the United States.
As each had to make his own change in the absence of a
cashier, this was found to be a work of great difficulty, to know
when a York shilling ceased to possess that value by reason
of abrasion or defacement and became a 10-cent piece, and in-
volved many a dispute ; and the same with all the other coins.
In payment of a debt" the Mexican dollar would go for 5s. Id.,
or 81.02, but in independent trading it was just Si.
Anyone visiting New York at this time, and buying a news-
paper, if he gave a good 25-cent piece would generally lose in
change, through the manipulation of the boys, from one to four
cents, j ust as the boy happened to have more or less of the
small coins. Toronto had no newsboys at this time. As for
coppers, I have no doubt a great many brass buttons found
circulation just by flattening the shanks. This state of things
continued more or less for years, till the^Decimal System was
introduced by Act of Parliament, and the present silver coinage
issued.
Previous to this all wholesale or importing accounts were
kept in sterling for French and English accounts; Halifax
currency, or $4 to the pound, for Canadian, and in dollars and
cents for the United States.
Store Pay.
This kind of business was on the whole more agreeable to
salesmen than the system of cash sales.
Every builder or contractor made an arrangement with the
various trades and stores for a line of credit, by which they
could pay their workmen as much of their wages as possible
with the smallest amount of cash.
Orders were given on the stores, and mechanics' wives went
to make their purchases, carefully concealing their written
" orders " as long as the knowing salesman failed to draw out
the fact of their existence ; the object of the caution on the part
of the frugal housewives being to ascertain the " cash " price of
44 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the goods. If the "cat was let oufc of the bag* the salesman
at once " stood at ease," knowing well that the customer had
no alternative but to take out the value of the order. A few
immigrants, in perfect innocence, would present these orders
at once, much to the satisfaction of the salesman.
The block of buildings known as Ritchey's Terrace and
other large buildings, including churches, St. Lawrence build-
ings, etc., were largely paid for in this way.
The time of " strikes " had not then arrived, the supply of
labor was always fully equal to the demand.
Retail Importing.
The only retail importers of dry goods at this time were Mr.
P<iier Patterson, who occupied a portion of the present premises
of Messrs. R. Walker & Sons, and was supplied direct by
Messrs. Heron & Dickson, of Glasgow, who had arrangements
to supply not more than one house in each principal town in
Canada; and Messrs. Walker & Hutchinson, who also had
arrangements for getting their goods direct from Great Britain.
Nearly every dry goods firm, as well as hardware and others,
called themselves importers, and had the term on their signs.
j This importing, however, was not direct, but was carried on
I through the wholesale houses to whom they gave their orders,
which were sometimes delivered in the original packages. In
this way, in after years, we imported almost every class of
goods to order, including jewellery and fancy goods for one of
the present leading jewellery houses on King Street, raw furs
for manufacturing, oil paintings, fire-arms, fancy stationery,
and, in fact, any class of goods for which an order was given.
Wholesale Trade in 1847.
In 1847 the wholesale dry goods trade was entirely confined
to Yonge Street, south of King.
First came Mr. Wm. McMaster, where the Dominion Bank
now stands ; next was Mr. John Robertson's warehouse. At the
TOBO-NTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 45
corner of Melinda Street, where the new Globe building now
stands, was the old red brick store of Messrs. Ross, Mitchell
& Co. ; a door or two further south Mr. W. L. Perrin occupied
a plain brick building, and below Wellington Street were
Messrs. Moffat & Murray, and Messrs. Bryce, McMurrich & Co.
On the east side, north of Wellington, was the warehouse of
Messrs. Bowes & Hall, and these comprised the whole of the
dry goods warehouses at that time. There being no houses
exclusively In the millinery trade, that was done by the same
houses.
The wholesale grocery trade was represented by Messrs. F. &
G. Perkins, Mr. A. V. Brown, and Whittemore, Rutherford & Co.
There were no exclusively wholesale houses in the hardware
trade, nor in earthenware, jewellery, hats, caps or furs. The
oldest house in the latter trade is that of Mr. James H. Rogers;
the business having been established by his father in 1815.
The large block at the corner of King and Toronto Streets
was, in 1847, the finest wholesale house in the city, and was
occupied by Messrs. Whittemore, Rutherford & Co. as a whole-
sale grocery warehouse, and afterwards they added dry goods,
being the only house in which both classes of goods were com-
bined. This site is now occupied by the Quebec Bank, thereby
removing one of the most prominent of the old landmarks of
the city.
Prominent Men in 1847.
Amongst the prominent men to be seen on King Street in
1847 was the Right Reverend John Strachan, Lord Bishop of
Toronto. Although small in stature, his lordship was dignified
in manner, and commanded universal respect.
Mr. Peter Brown — father of Messrs. George and Gordon
Brown — was a gentleman of venerable appearance and much
respected.
The Messrs. Ridout Brothers, hardware merchants, Mr. Rice
Lewis, Mr. John Harrington, and Mr. T. D. Harris, all in the
same business, occupied prominent positions as business men.
46 TOBOXTO te CALLED BACK.**
Mr. E. F. Whittemore, of the firm of Whittemore, Rutherford
& Co., took an active part in every benevolent and philan-
thropic enterprise, and was distinguished for his temperance
principles.
Mr. Hugh Scobie, proprietor of the British Colonist, was a
man of commanding presence and universally respected.
A. & S. Nordheimer.
In 1847 this firm occupied premises on the north side of
King Street, nearly opposite their present establishment.
The senior partner, Mr. Abraham Nordheimer, was an accom-
plished musician, and it was quite a treat to witness the
enthusiasm he displayed when exhibiting the fine points of the
instruments to intending purchasers.
Mr. Samuel Nordheimer undertook the outside work, travel-
ling a great deal, and to this firm is due to a great extent the
credit of having educated the taste of the people of Canada up
to its present high musical standard.
Prior to this time, if an Old Country family had brought
out a piano, although not of the most modern style, they were
supposed to have belonged to the better class of society at
home ; but even these instruments were few and far between.
It was on Mr. S. Nordheimer's journeys, between Toronto
and Montreal, that the writer first became acquainted with him,
and soon found that by his universal courtesy, polished man-
ners and pleasing address, he was winning golden opinions, not
only in the towns and cities, but amongst the_^ttfir_cjjass_gf
farmers ; and the firm being sole agents for the Chickering &
Stodart, and Dunham pianos, soon succeeded in placing a large
number of these instruments in the hands of the better classj>f
1 people all over Canada. The fame of the firm is now as
extensive as the Dominion, and their success has been as great
as their highest ambition could have desired.
In the chapter on "Toronto as a Musical City," reference
will be made to their successful efforts to induce the first-class
musicians and vocalists of the world to visit Toronto, when it
48 TOIIONTO " CALLED BACK."
was little known, and had few attractions for these great
artists; but the influence of Messrs. Nordheimer — through
their connections in Europe and the United States — overcame
all difficulties, and to them is due, from the citizens of Toronto,
a debt of gratitude for many a musical treat during the past
thirty-five years.
Lord Elgin.
In January, 1847, Lord Elgin — two months after his second
marriage to Lady Mary Louise Lambton, daughter of Lord
Durham — sailed for America in the Cunard steamer Hibernia,
and encountered unusually rough weather, the voyage being
most uncomfortable. They arrived at Halifax on the 20th,
intending to proceed to Montreal by way of Fredericton, but the
condition of the roads was not suited to such an undertaking,
so they re-embarked for Boston, arriving on the 25th. They
set out for Montreal the following morning, and reached their
destination on the 29th, three days' journey, and took up their
abode at Monklands.
He was young and healthy, and could work eighteen hours a
day ; possessed an amiable temper, and always a pleasant
demeanor, and did not consider it derogatory to his dignity to
walk to church.
In 1849 the Rebellion Losses Bill was assented to, and riots
occurred in consequence in Montreal. After this the seat of
Government was removed to Toronto, in 1850.
Lord Elgin was very popular in Toronto, and his levees were
always well attended. During the summer of that year he
gave a fete champetre at his residence, near where the Central
Presbyterian Church now stands, and as the view as far as
Queen Street was almost uninterrupted, the entertainment was
as pleasant as the name was app/opriate. The writer has a
pleasant recollection of a cordial greeting and a hearty shake
of hisihand on that occasion.
The garden party given by Ex-Lieutenant-Governor Robinson,
on the occasion of the visit of the members of the British
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 49
Association, in 1885, showed by the surroundings the vast
improvement that has taken place since that time.
The beauty of the grounds which surround the present
Government House, with its luxurious furniture, and conserva-
tory, fragrant with the perfume of rare exotics, contrasts in a
striking manner with former times.
Toronto Police Force.
There were about a dozen of policemen, having as a chief
Mr. Samuel Sherwood. The chief, being a quiet, good-natured
man, did not insist on any strict regulations as to the dress or
discipline of the men.
They wore a sort of uniform, but without uniformity, except
in one respect — they were uniformly slovenly. Day & Martin's
blacking and white gloves were not considered at all necessary;
the latter had not come into fashion, and, as to the former, the
men might say as to their boots what was generally said as
to waggons and carriages, that if the mud was taken off they
would be just as dirty in a short time again.
It could not be wondered at, that in a city so celebrated for
mud as Toronto, the buggies were allowed to remain for
months in a dirty condition, when only a short time ago
London Punch gives a conversation between a tourist in the
Highlands of Scotland and his hostler. The tourist says, "Why
haven't you cleaned my carriage, as I told you last night ? "
Hostler — " Hech, sir, what for would it need washing ? It will
be just the same when you be using it again."
There was not much improvement in the Police Force till the
appointment of Captain Prince, who, by the introduction of a
semi-military style of discipline, brought about a complete
revolution in every respect, not only in the dress and dis-
cipline of the men, but in the selection of a superior class, both
as regards physique and intelligence, forming in a short time a
body of police equal to that of any oity in the world.
The best men selected were from the Irish Constabulary, who
had been drilled at the barracks in Phoenix Park, Dublin.
50 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
First Strike in Toronto.
In 1847 the first sewing machine was introduced by Messrs.
Walker & Hutchinson. The tailors in their employment,
regarding this innovation as contrary to all their time-honored
ideas of the manufacture of clothing, at once rebelled.
Had not the old needle been used by hand since the fig-leaves
were made into garments in the Garden of Eden ? Then why
should a new-fangled machine be invented to supersede the
ancient system ?
The machine was only in use a few days when Messrs.
Walker & Hutchinson, finding it so objectionable, agreed to
discontinue its use, and handed it over to their men to use it as
they thought proper.
A day was appointed for the display of their triumph over
machinery, and the discarded machine was exhibited on King
Street, in the centre of a procession of the workmen, after
which it was returned to the manufacturers in New York.
The firm, in order to remove every trace of dissatisfaction,
treated the men to a banquet, given the same evening.
Immigrant Fever.
The effects of the potato famine in Ireland were painfully
visible in the appearance of the immigrants arriving by Que-
bec during the summer. It was estimated that 240,000 had
died from starvation in Ireland. It was not that the people
who had the means failed to stretch out the hand of charity.
Wonderful acts of liberality and self-denial occurred, but the
whole means of Ireland were inadequate to support her desti-
tute poor.
The British ships were too few to carry over the provisions
necessary to save human life. Then every English heart, while
looking with terror at the future, throbbed with sympathy
for their dying brethren, and the relief distributed was received
with the liveliest gratitude — the writer's brother, being one of
the " relief" agents appointed by the Government, related
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 51
many instances of a most touching character in his district and
towards himself personally.
Enormous sums were subscribed to relieve the distressed.
Noble and fearless men ventured into the haunts of famine and
distress, and examined the evil before trying to remedy it.
In the hour of calamity all differences of creed were laid
aside, and the Roman and English priests met at the bed of the
dying, joining in administering temporal and spiritual aid to
the sufferers ; and, by a kind Providence, a fine summer and
better crops gradually brought about a better state of things.
The late Hon. W. E. Forster, when a young man, represented
the Society of Friends in Ireland during the terrible famine,
and his services as a distributer of relief earned for him the
love and gratitude of many a suffering soul, though it was his
strange fortune forty years later to be regarded as the worst
enemy of Ireland.
When the world was horrified by the Phoenix Park murders,
it came out on the trial of the assassins that Mr. Forster had
been selected as another victim, so that, notwithstanding the
respect and veneration with which the young Quaker had .been
regarded by the peasantry while engaged in the merciful work
of relieving hunger and soothing the pillow of death in 1846,
yet the same peasantry held the kind-hearted, though firm and
bluff Chief Secretary in utter execration, and taught their
children to curse him as the representative of blood-and-iron
tyranny.
As the result of imperfect nourishment and other causes, the
emigrants who left for America were decimated by ship fever,
and hundreds were buried at Grosse Isle, below Quebec, who
died on board the ships or at the quarantine station.
There were many cases in Toronto, and in attending these
P>ishop Power and Dr. Grasett contracted the disease, from
which they both died, while faithfully and fearlessly discharg-
ing their duties.
52 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
Bathing.
Before the Esplanade was formed a favorite place for a swim
was off Rees' wharf, nearly opposite the Parliament Buildings,
and other quiet spots along the shore of the Bay.
Here, on a fine summer's morning, many of the leading mer-
chants and clerks from King Street might be seen indulging in
the healthy exercise. The only restriction was as to time, there
being none as to dress. No person was allowed to bathe after
seven o'clock, before which time it was perfectly legal.
By those of us who had been accustomed to "disport beneath
the crested wave" on the Atlantic Coast, in puris naturalibus,
the privilege was highly appreciated and enjoyed.
One morning the writer chose a spot in front of the Com-
missariat Depot, which was always guarded by a sentry, who,
with fixed bayonet, " walked his lonely round " in front of his
box. These sentries appeared to be authorized to enforce the
rule as to time.
Not knowing it was past seven o'clock, I had quite prepared
for a dip, when the sentry advanced a few paces, and, in a very
decided tone, said if I went into the water he " would do his
duty." Not liking the look of the cold steel, and thinking that
in this case discretion was the better part of valor, I quickly
dressed, and apologizing for having mistaken the hour, beat a
retreat.
Great Fire on King Street in 1849.
This fire originated eastward of the Cathedral, and spread
rapidly as far as Jarvis Street, and northward to Adelaide, then
across to the old City Hall and market, all of which were
speedily consumed. The Rectory of St. James escaped, but the
Cathedral, taking fire from some sparks which lodged on the
spire, was entirely consumed. One bucket of water would have
extinguished it when first discovered, but there was no way of
reaching it, the fire hose being quite inadequate for the pur-
pose. The writer distinctly recollects the falling of the spire.
ST. JAMES' CATHEDRAL, TORONTO.
5-Jt TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
When the fire had done its work, and the crash became inevit-
able, ifc was supposed the spire would fall outwards, and the
spectators kept a long way off, when, to the surprise of every
one, it fell almost perpendicularly, top foremost, the vane on the
top striking the flag at the front door. The buildings on the
opposite side were badly scorched, but escaped destruction.
Establishment of Celebration of Queen's Birthday.
To Toronto belongs the honor of having first inaugurated
this celebration.
In the year when every throne in Europe was shaken, when
Louis Philippe and his illustrious Queen were driven by the
mob from the Tuilleries, and every vestige of royalty on which
the latter could lay their ruthless hands was destroyed, and
when in disguise the royal pair escaped to England as a haven
of refuge, never did our noble Queen sit more firmly on her
throne ; and the feeling of loyalty appeared to be intensified by
the surrounding contrast.
At that time it was proposed to celebrate her birthday in
Toronto, but it was not till the following year that it was fully
kept, and shortly afterwards it was made a legal holiday, other
cities having taken the matter up and followed the example set
by Toronto.
In 1850 Monsieur Napheygi, Secretary to the celebrated
Louis Kossuth, the Hungarian patriot and orator, who had
visited Toronto, assisted in the celebration of Her Majesty's
birthday by a grand display of fire-works in front of the Par-
liament Buildings.
First Retail Dry Goods Store on Yonge Street.
Up to 1849 the retail dry goods trade was confined to King
Street, and to a very limited portion of that street.
The on<y dry goods sold on Yonge Street were in connection
with groceries, in a store kept by Mr. James Leask, one door
south of Queen Street.
Mr. John Macdonald, having decided to start a store, with the
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 55
enterprise and pluck which has characterized all his movements,
decided to try the experiment of an exclusively dry goods busi-
ness, and in a short time was doing a thriving trade one door
south of Richmond Street, then known as the "Large 103,"
that being the number on the street at that time, and the
figures conspicuously painted in front of the building.
The result of this venture is referred to in the chapter on
the Model Wholesale Dry Goods Warehouse of the Dominion.
SELLING ON THE STERLING COST.
The system of selling at an advance on the sterling cost
gave buyers the privilege of inspecting the invoice books
before the arrival of the goods, and if the buyer knew of spe-
cial cheap lines, and wished to favor a particular customer,
these lots were selected beforehand, and laid aside as soon as
opened. In this way Mr. Macdonald secured many a lot which,
by judicious advertising, he brought before the attention of the
public, and soon acquired the reputation of selling cheap goods.
The population of Toronto in 1847 was 21,050.
Total assessment, £122,981, or 8591,924; total expenditure,
£7,288, or $29,152.
The total importations to Toronto in 1848 were £197,225 5s.
3d., equal to $788,901.05. The same year Montreal imported
goods valued at £1,603,027 17s. 9d., or $6,452,111,55, or nearly
eight times as large as Toronto.
'in 1849 Toronto showed value imported to be £326,863 17s.
9d., or $1,307,455.55, and Montreal £1,236,533 6s. 3d., or
$4,946,133.25, Toronto having within the year brought the pro-
portion as compared with Montreal from one-eighth to about
one-fourth.
56
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Business Houses in Toronto, 1847-1850.
WHOLESALE DRY GOODS.
Bowes & Hall.
Bryce, McMurrich & Co.
John Ewart, jun. & Co.
Henry Fowler.
Gilmour & Coulson.
William McMaster.
Moffatt, Murray & Co.
P. J. O'Neill.
W. L. Perrin & Co.
John Robertson.
Ross, Mitchell & Co.
Taylor & Stevenson.
Shaw, Turnbull & Co.
Topping & Brown.
R. Wightman & Co.
RETAIL DRY GOODS.
John Macclonald.
P. Paterson.
Betley & Kay.
J. Carmichael.
Edward Cooper.
William Creighton.
John Eastwood.
Arthur Lepper.
Walker & Hutchinson.
Robert Sargant & Co.
George Bilton.
Richard Hastings.
Walter Macfarlane.
Scott & Laidlaw.
Hughes & Co.
Thomas Lailey.
Charles Robertson.
John Ritchey, jun.
J. R. Mountjoy.
G. B. Wylie.
J. Charlesworth.
WHOLESALE GROCERS.
A. V. Brown.
Thomas Brunskill.
WHOLESALE
Fitch & Matthews.
B. Torrance & Co.
F. & G. Perkins.
George Munro.
Whittemore, Rutherford & C
RETAIL GROCERS.
Alexander Ogilvy & Co.
A. M. Smith.
K. M. Sutherland.
Richard Yates.
HARDWARE MERCHANTS.
John Harrington.
Rice Lewis.
T. Haworth.
T. D. Harris.
Ridout Bros.
Darling Bros.
Hayes Bros.
P. Paterson & Co.
DRUGGISTS.
Neil C. Love.
Joseph Beckett & Co.
Lyman Bros.& Co.
W. H. Doel.
Hugh Miller.
J. C. Bettridge.
JEWELLERS.
Rossin Bros.
E. M. Morphy.
George Savage.
J. G. Joseph.
Henry Jackson.
FURRIERS.
Joseph Rogers.
John Salt.
J. G. Joseph.
J. Bastedo.
THOMAS THOMPSON, ESQ.,
" The Maples; Roscdale.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857.
57
CHINA AND EARTHENWARE.
Patton & Co.
H. F. Norris.
HIDES AND LEATHER.
James Beaty.
MERCHANT TAILORS.
G. & T. Bilton.
Richard Score.
C. & W. Walker.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
A. & S. Nordheiraer.
BOOKSELLERS AND STATIONERS.
Brewer, McPhail & Co.
Thomas Maclear.
Henry Rowsell.
Hugh Scobie.
A. H. Armour & Co.
BOOTS AND SHOES.
Edward Dack.
Brown & Childs.
WATCHMAKERS.
J. E. Ellis.
William Bell.
CLOTHIERS AND OUTFITTERS.
Thomas Thompson.
Evans & Hamilton.
FANCY GOODS.
James Skelton.
SADDLERY HARDWARE.
|
Alexander Dixon.
MANUFACTURERS.
STOVES.
J. R. Armstrong.
G. H. Cheney & Co.
PAPER.
John Taylor & Brother.
FURNITURE.
Jacques & Hay.
IRONFOUNDER.
James Good.
STEAM MILLS.
Gooderham & Worts.
SOAP AND CANDLES.
P. & R. Coate.
Peter Freeland.
STARCH.
J. A. Cull.
PIANOS.
John Thomas.
GLUE.
Peter R. Lamb.
AXES.
Samuel Shaw.
It is worthy of note that the residences of all the leading
men whose names are given were all south of Queen Street,
except one or two who lived on that street. This will give a
good idea of the improvement that has taken place in this
respect.
5
58 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The upper stratum of society was decidedly refined and in-
tellectual, and not by any means as exclusive as some have
represented it. Nothing so invidious in class distinctions
existed as was found in Montreal up to a late period, when the
line was distinctly drawn between wholesale and retail mer-
chants, and in other ways the " upper ten " principle strictly
carried out.
The number of churches in Toronto at this time was 21,
divided as follows: — 4 Episcopal; 1 Presbyterian Church of
Scotland; 4 Wesleyan; 1 Presbyterian Church of Canada; 2
Congregational; 1 United Presbyterian; 1 Methodist New
Connexion ; 1 Catholic Apostolic ; 1 Primitive Methodist ; 2
Baptist ; 1 Disciples ; 2 Roman Catholic.
A Tour of Observation.
Before deciding on settling in Toronto, the writer took a
trip to New York to consult with his friend and companion of
the previous seven years, Mr. Edward Martin, who had preceded
him, and had, like Mr. A. T. Stewart, brought out a stock of
Irish embroideries, then giving employment to thousands of
girls all over Ireland, and sold all over the world. My friend
continued in the same trade, adding lace goods when the
embroidery business fell off, and retired quite recently with a
large fortune.
It was thought best that I should make a tour of several of
the states as far west as Ohio, then the most rising and pros-
perous state in the west. Returning by the New York Central,
all the large towns were visited up to Buffalo, and then Erie
and Cleveland were reached by steamer. From the latter
place, down to Cincinnati, the only mode of travelling was
either by the stages or canal boats drawn by horses. There
appeared to be nothing, either in the manners of the people
met with or the mode of doing business, to induce me to settle
on that side of the line.
Being invariably taken for an Englishman, and addressed as
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 59
"stranger," I found that an Englishman was more of a foreigner
than one of any other nationality.
There were whole villages in Ohio owned by Germans or
Dutch, on the communistic principle, and no English spoken.
Apropos of speaking languages I may mention that having
an uncle, who was an elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church,
stationed near Syracuse, on my way through I called to see
him. Having two daughters at a large school in the centre of
the state of New York, he wished me to go and see them. The
distance to drive being about twenty miles, we stopped to rest
with one of my uncle's parishioners, and in conversation with
the lady of the house she asked me whether I had spoken the
English language before I came to America.
At once perceiving that her question was put on account of
my being a native Irishman, I answered her accordingly.
Having seen persons from different parts of Europe in that
country, and all speaking their own language, she naturally
thought I should know mine.
We found my cousins boarding with the family of the sheriff
of the county, and the lady herself busy with a broom, after
using which to good purpose she was soon ready to entertain
us in her drawing-room. " Helps " being hard to find, most of
the ladies were obliged to help themselves.
Being everywhere reminded that I was now in a free country,
I have frequently regretted not having crossed the Ohio River
into Kentucky, where slavery was in full vigor, and human
chattels were bought and sold every day ; and never having ex-
perienced any particular oppression in the country from which
I had recently come, I failed to appreciate the advantages of the
freedom of which I was so constantly reminded as existing in
the United States.
Describing the gaiety going on in Washington while slavery
existed there at this time, Whittier writes :
Pitying God ! Is this a woman
On whose wrists the shackles clash 9
Is that shriek she utters human,
Underneath the stinging lash ?
60 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Are they men whose eyes of madness
From that sad procession flash ?
Still the dance goes gaily onward —
What is it to wealth and pride
That without the stars are looking
On a scene which earth should hide ;
That the slave ship lies in waiting,
Rocking on Potamac's tide ?
This being the year in which Louis Philippe and his accom-
plished consort were driven from the Tuilleries, and every
vestige of royalty ruthlessly destroyed, and Lamartine & Co.
had established the Republic of " Liberte, egalite, et fraternite
in France, additional favor seemed to have been given to these
principles.
While there was much to admire in the apparent absence of
poverty, and a good degree of prosperity which seemed to exist,
and an appearance of greater equality amongst all classes the
further west I went, it was plainly seen that distinctions still
existed and society was divided into classes, as in every other
community. There were some illiterate and others educated,
some rude and rough in manners, others more refined and
cultured.
To judge of the manners of the people at the table d'hdte of
the best hotel in Cleveland at the time, and compare them with
those seen at present, the decision must be, that a marvellous im-
provement has taken place, as well as in all other western cities.
This being the place where a stranger has the best oppor-
tunity of remarking the habits of people, my first impression
was one of surprise that so little time should be devoted to
table enjoyment. When the gong sounded there was a perfect
rush, and a grab at everything that could be reached. Vege-
tables of all kinds, with pickles, were mixed up, and made to
disappear before the waiters had time to present the bill of fare,
and then fish, flesh and fowl were taken on the same plate, with
a variety of puddings and pies ; all of which were conveyed to
the mouth with the knife, the fork only doing duty while the
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 61
meat was being cut ; and by the time a person not in a hurry
got through with his soup, and was discussing the bill of fare,
the table was half empty, and almost entirely so by the time
the substantiate were reached.
The most surprising thing was to find these people after-
wards quietly sitting round, apparently having abundance of
time on their hands.
On returning to Canada a trip was taken to Quebec, includ-
ing a short stay at the principal towns and cities en route.
Were it possible for a large proportion of the persons leaving
the British Islands to postpone their decision as to their desti-
nation till they had travelled through the principal States of
the Union, and over a portion of this Dominion, it can scarcely
be doubted that by far a larger number would prefer Canada.
But as, either through correspondence with friends, or the
representations of interested agents, nearly all decide as to the
place of their future settlement, they lose the advantage to be
gained by actual observation.
This delightful trip, entirely by water on the lake and river
steamers, could not fail to make a favorable impression. No
longer addressed as " stranger," I everywhere found friends, and
a thorough " home " feeling was constantly experienced, till on
my return to Toronto there was no hesitation as to making it
my future home.
First Return Visit to Europe.
The passage to England, on the Cunard steamer Niagara, in
the winter of 1849-50 was a most perilous one. When on the
Banks of Newfoundland we found ourselves suddenly sur-
rounded by immense fields of ice, which increased so rapidly
that in a few hours the man at the mast-head sang out, "Nothing
but ice all around ! " Having Her Majesty's mails on board,
Capt. Leitch was not to be kept long in such a position, and
having consulted with his officers, determined to push through.
Orders were given to go ahead at half -speed, and after several
hours of bumping and grinding, that was terrible to witness.
62 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the cry came from aloft, " Clear water ahead ! " and on getting
out of the ice we found the grand vessel almost as helpless as a
log on the water. Every float on both paddle-wheels had been
literally torn to pieces, except six, and these vessels not being
rigged for sailing, like the modern screw steamers, there was no
prospect of progress from that quarter.
With the foresight which has characterized the Cunard Line
from the commencement, duplicate floats were on board, and
the carpenter's crew, in spite of the rolling of the vessel, in a
comparatively short time had all the floats replaced, and we
were soon again under full steam for Liverpool.
Shortly after arriving in London a partnership was formed
with Mr. James Stevenson, with whom I had lived for several
years in Dublin, and who was then residing in London, as buyer
and manager with Hunt, Brown & Co., Wood Street, London,
Luton and Dunstable. Mr. Stevenson came to Toronto in the
following spring.
/
Windsor Castle.
'* Imperial dome of Edward, wise and brave !
Where warlike Honor's brightest banners wave.
The royal piles that rise elate,
With many an antique tower in massy state."
Never having seen Her Majesty the Queen, I expressed a wish
to visit Windsor with that object, and accompanied by my
brother, who was buyer for the house of Brown, Davis & Halse,
of Gresham Street, and afterwards for Cook Sons & Co., St.
Paul's Church Yard, went down to that historical town.
We knew by the Royal Standard floating from the Castle
tower that Her Majesty was at home, and after inspecting the
portions of the Castle accessible to visitors during the Queen's
residence there, and St. George's Chapel, and getting a splendid
view of the surrounding country from the top of the tower, we
had not yet seen any indication of the Queen's appearance, and
were returning to the railway station to take the first train for
London, when, while walking in a private street, without a
single person in sight, we heard the noise of horses' feet, and
WINDSOR CASTLE.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 65
presently an equery in royal livery came in view, and immedi-
ately afterwards the Queen and Prince Albert, in an open
carriage and pair, enjoying a quiet drive. We, of course, un-
covered our heads, and in return had a most gracious bow and
smile from Her Majesty, Prince Albert at the same time raising
his hat in response to our salutation.
This was an opportunity seldom enjoyed, even by residents
of London, and often earnestly desired by Americans, and
although having seen Her Majesty frequently afterwards, no-
sight on state occasions was so gratifying as this one.
Commencement of Commercial Travelling in Canada.
In 1850 the firm of Taylor & Stevenson was established, and
their business carried on at the corner of Yonge and Col-
borne Streets, in the building lately occupied by Messrs. Buntin,
Reid & Co., now the Trader's Bank building. It was then newly
built, and was one of the finest warehouses in the city.
Mr. Stevenson having had extensive connections with all the
straw goods manufacturers in London and Bedfordshire, that
trade was made a leading branch. The first importations of
these goods, in the spring of 1851, were the largest that had ever
been made into Canada, and having sent out circulars, we had
buyers from Windsor in the west to Brockville in the east. The
whole importations were closed out in a few weeks, and such
was the quantity to be entered and packed that all hands were
obliged to work for several weeks every night, except Saturday,
till 2 or 3 o'clock, so as to get the goods forwarded within a
reasonable time. To obviate this in future, the idea of taking
the orders beforehand and shipping the goods direct soon took
shape, and in the fall of that year samples were got out from
the leading manufacturers, and the writer undertook to travel
for orders.
After the close of navigation there was only one regular mode
of travelling. Weller's line of Mail Stages left daily for Mont-
real and Quebec, and in this way the writer, who was the first
commercial traveller in Canada, started from Toronto.
66 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
In these days of Pullman cars and commercial hotels, to hear
travellers complain of the discomforts and annoyances is rather
amusing to those who have ploughed through mud and slush,
sometimes carrying rails off the fences to " pry " the wheels of
the stages out of the ruts, and again, in snow, carrying shovels
to dig out the horses when large drifts were encountered ; all
which is known to the writer by actual experience.
The accommodation for baggage for nine or ten passengers
consisted of a " rack " at the back of the stage, so that baggage
trunks and 300 Ibs. weight of samples were never even thought
of up to the time of the opening of the railroads.
To meet this difficulty the writer had his samples sent out in
miniature models, so small that samples representing thousands
of dozens, for which he actually took orders, could all be carried
in a small valise.
The experiment was a great success; the goods were all packed
in England to the various marks, and in the spring of 1852
were shipped in bulk to the various merchants, from Quebec to
Windsor, or sent to Toronto for distribution.
During that fall not a single traveller was met on the whole
road, but the following season a gentleman appeared as a com-
petitor from a New York house, and one or two others, amongst
them Mr. Darling, of Montreal, in the hardware trade, and Mr.
D. B. Macdonald, in fancy dry goods.
The summer trips by steamers were very pleasant, but in the
winter there was nothing but hardships, and in crossing the ice
at different points very great danger. My rule was, that
wherever the mail driver would venture I would go.
On one occasion, in crossing from Belleville to Picton, the ice
had melted, and in the whole distance across the Bay of Quinte
no ice could be seen— the horses being almost knee deep in
water. Again, in crossing from Kingston to Cape Vincent with
four horses in the Mail Stage, and a heavy mail with a large
number of passengers, where the ice was cracking, the horses
had to "jump the cracks." Many rivers and canals were
crossed in this way.
One adventure on the road will give an idea of snow drifts.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 67
The town of Brock ville was always to me, whether in summer
or "winter, a delightful resting-place, a sort of oasis in my
travels from east to west, or vice versa. Young men away
from home in a new country will appreciate my feelings when
I say, that to find a sort of Canadian home, when a young
traveller, was indeed a delightful feeling. Here I always rested
for a few days amongst my friends — the Hon. George and
Messrs. John and James Crawford and their connections, and
especially Mr. Sheriff Sherwood, and the late Hon. John Ross,
whom I had the pleasure of meeting there frequently.
In the winter of 1853 I arrived there from the East in a
heavy snow storm ; it was the 23rd of December, and I wished
to get to Toronto by Christmas Day.
On the 24th the Mail Stage came along, and having supplied
ourselves with wooden shovels, we started for Kingston. Having
got on a few miles we found the drifts getting worse, and after
repeated efforts in literally digging the horses out, we were
compelled to put up at a small tavern on the road side, and here,
with bitter regrets at my folly in not remaining at Brockville,
where I might have spent a pleasant Christmas, we were com-
pelled to remain all Christmas Day.
In the meantime the pathmasters had been notified by mes-
sengers that the track must be opened 'at their peril to allow
Her Majesty's Mails to proceed.
On the 26th we again started, having much the same shovel-
ling as before, when, having got on a few miles, we heard the
sound of the down stage's horn, and knew the track had been
broken, and arrived in Kingston in a reasonable time.
The formation of the Commercial Travellers' Association
followed soon after the opening of the railroads, and has grown
to immense proportions, as the annual reports of the various
associations now existing abundantly show.
In the last year (1874) in which the writer travelled in con-
nection with the Toronto Association, his orders taken, in the
United States and Canada, with some assistance, represented
close on half-a-million dollars, and during the year scarcely a
day was lost. With the comforts and facilities afforded by the
68
TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
Pullman and Wagner cars, enabling travellers to work all day
and travel at night, and the best hotels on the Continent
competing for the patronage of the commercial travellers, the
occupation has become, from being a drudgery, quite a pleasant
life.
Having served a good apprenticeship, and then given a son
to succeed me in the Association, anything connected with com-
mercial travelling is still a matter of great interest.
Toronto in 1850.
FINANCIAL AFFAIKS.
REVENUE.
£ s. d.
Assessment ............ 8,540 0
3,417 5
1,325 0
991 0 0
EXPENDITURE.
Licenses ,
Drainage 150
Fees & Arrears of Taxes. 2,366
Cash on hand . . 530
s. d
0 0
n —- ° °
^ I Roads 1,355 0 0
0 | Interest 4,800
0 j Salaries 2,875
0 0
Fire
4 0|Redemption of
5 0! Notes
Use of County Jail
Ward Appropriation
Incidental Police Ex-
penditure
Printing and Stationery.
Coroner's Expenses
£17,322 14 0
or $69,290 80
1,277
1,600
850
600
500
110
280
115
Miscellaneous , 2,994
Estimated Revenue over
Expenditure 16
6 8
£17,322 14 0
or $69,290 00
CITY DEBT.
£ s. d.
Debentures 67,372 15 6
Corporation Notes 17,34615 0
Sundries 2,444 14 8
£87,184 5 2
or §348,737 04
ASSETS.
£ s. d.
Outstanding Rents, Fees,
Debts, Taxes and
Cash on hand 2,436 9 0
Leaving to be paid 84,727 16 2
£87,184 5 2
or $348, 737 04
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857.
69
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
Athenaeum and Commercial
News Room.
Mechanics' Institute.
Post Office.
Telegraph Office.
University (old building).
Upper Canada College.
Osgoode Hall.
Parliament Buildings.
The following newspapers were published : British Colonist,
Christian Guardian, Daily Patriot and Express, Globe, North
American, Canada Gazette, Church, Examiner, Mirror, Watch-
man.
It will be seen that of all the papers published in 1850, only
two continue, the Globe and Christian Guardian, the latter
being the oldest established weekly paper in Upper Canada.
Prominent Men in 1850.
ALPHABETICALLY ENUMERATED.
lw. W. T. Aikiiis.
Hon. R. Baldwin.
F. W. Barren, Principal U. O. College. \
M. Barrett, First English Master, U. G.
College.
Charles Berczy, Postmaster.
Hon. W. H. Blake, Chancellor.
W. H. Boulton, M.P.P.
Hon. Col. Bruce, Sec'y and A.D.G to
Earl of Elgin.
Hon. R. E. Burns, Judge.
John Cameron, Cashier Commercial
Rank.
Hon. R. E. Caron, Speaker Legislative
Council.
W. G. Cassells, Manager Bank of B. N.
America.
H. H. Croft, Prof, of Chemistry and
Vice- Chancellor of University.
R. G. Dalton, Barrister.
Lieut. -Colonel DeSalaberry, Deputy
A djutant- General.
Hon. W. H. Draper, Judge Queen's
Bench.
J. C. P. Eaten, Vice-Chancellor.
George Gurnett, Clerk of the Peace.
Rev. Anson Green, Wesley an Book
Steward.
Hon. Francis Hincks, Inspector-General.
J. G. Hodgins, Secretary of Education
Department.
J. G; Howard, Architect.
W. B. Jarvis, Sheriff.
Hon. L. H. Lafontaine, A ttorney- General
Hon. Jas. Leslie, Provincial Secretary.
Hon. J. B. Macauley, Chief Justice.
W. F. Mendell, Collector of Customs.
Rev. John McCaul, LL.D., President
University.
A. T. McCord, City Chamberlain.
Hon. Archibald McLean, Judge.
E. J. Palmer, Daguerrean Artist.
Hon. J. H. Price, Commissioner Crown
Lands.
70
TORONTO "CALLED BACK.'
Rev. Bishop Power.
William Proudfoot, President Bank of
Upper Canada.
T. G. Ridout, Cashier Bank of Upper
Canada.
Hon. J. B. Robinson, Chief Justice.
Dr. John Rolph.
Rev. Egerton Ryerson, Chief Supt. of
Education.
Rev. Henry Scadding, First Classical
Master U. C. College.
HOIK Henry Sherwood, Barrister.
J. G. Spragge, Vice- Chancellor.
G. W. Strathy, Professor of Music.
Hon. and Right Rev. John Strachan»
Lord Bishop of Toronto.
Hon. E. P. Tache, Receiver-General
John F. Taylor, Cleric and Master in
Chancery.
Kivas Tully, Architect and Civil En-
gineer.
Wm. Wedd, Third Classical Master
U. C. College.
Hon. C. Widmer, Surgeon.
Rev. M. Willis, D.D., Prof. Divinity,
Knox College.
William Wilson, Cashier Bank of Mont-
real.
In 1850, the principal streets running east and west were
Front, King, Richmond, Adelaide and Queen ; running north
and south were Yonge, Church, Bay and York. These were
the most thickly settled and best business portions of the city.
The two principal thoroughfares, and the streets containing
the largest number of shops, were King and Yonge.
A little eastward of the centre of the city were situated the
Market Building and City Hall. The old City Hall was a
decent, old-fashioned pile of red brick, the front of which was
on King Street. Beneath and behind was the Market, walled
in, and enclosed with gates.
After the fire the new City Hall, the present one, was erected
of white brick, opposite the Market Square, and running down
towards the Bay.
This is a very strange looking building, and it was unfortun-
ate for the reputation of the architect employed that he had
not left the Province before he completed the building, instead
of afterwards.
The old City Buildings having been destroyed in the great
fire, a magnificent pile of buildings were erected in their place,
called the St. Lawrence Hall and St. Lawrence Buildings.
At this time the St. James' Cathedral was in the course of
erection ; Knox Church, Holy Trinity, and St. Michael's had
been built.
{ W. H. Smith says of Toronto in 1850 :— " Let a traveller,
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 71
starting from Montreal on a summer trip, proceed westward
till he arrives at Toronto. He sees a city, which he is told
fifty years ago was a swamp, with street beyond street and
building after building. He sees town lots selling for £10,000
an acre where thirty or forty years ago flourished a garden ; a
magnificent church being erected where an old settler told him
he once shot wild ducks/''
In connection with the old Mechanics' Institute it should be
recorded that Mr. Robert Edwards was the polite and obliging
Secretary for many years, and it is also due to the memory of
Mr. John Harrington to state that it was chiefly through his
exertions and the liberality of the citizens that the present
Free Library building was erected. The Music Hall in the
upper part was, for years, the principal place for concerts,
lectures and various exhibitions, and many celebrated men
appeared from time to time on its platform, including Wilkie
Collins, Proctor, Pepper, Punshon and many others.
Important public meetings were held, and public balls and
banquets took place in this Hall, for any of which its capacity
would be insufficient at the present time.
The office of the Express Company, styled the European,
United States and Canadian Express Company, was on Front
Street, and James Burns was agent.
Bonding System via United States.
In the spring of 1848 there were no new spring goods shown
in Toronto till the middle of May, on the opening of navigation.
The arrival of sailing vessels, which then conveyed all freight
to Quebec, was looked for with great anxiety. The ladies, in
the meantime, were compelled to wear their last spring bonnets,
dresses and mantles, and the retail dry goods men had a chance
of selling off their old stock from the previous season. The
effect of this was that when the goods arrived in Toronto the
country storekeepers, who awaited the event, came in a body to
the city, and at seven o'clock in the morning it was no unusual
sight to see as many as thirty or forty on the street, awaiting
72 TORONTO "CALLED BACK:'
the opening of the warehouses, and ready to grab at the first
lot of goods they could get their hands on — styles and prices
being considered a matter of no importance: they wanted
British and foreign 'dry goods, and were determined to have
them. There was no time for making prices ; that was to
follow after the rush, and each man filled his locker or bunk
with an indiscriminate collection, subject to revision on the first
opportunity. When, perhaps, his neighbor's back was turned,
to make a fair exchange was considered no robbery, should he
happen to spy a chance lot of something he coveted in his
neighbor's bunk. As the goods were sold at sterling prices,
with a certain advance added, the invoice book was then called
into requisition, and goods entered accordingly. In this way
the whole importations were generally pretty well cleared out
in a few weeks, and as the country merchants were supposed to
have laid in their whole season's stock, the wholesale houses
had a quiet time in the warehouse after this, however it might
be in the counting house, the financing following such a sys-
tem requiring much tact and ingenuity. This state of things
could not continue with the increasing demand for early spring
goods: and something must be done in the way of improvement.
While British and foreign goods were arriving at Boston or
New York weekly, Canadian merchants were debarred from
getting any -of their importations from these ports via the
American railroads, there being no law to permit it.
The firm of Hill, Sears & Co., of Boston, a branch of the
London firm of Alfred Hill & Co., succeeded by Thomas Mea-
dows & Co., seeing a prospect of getting hold of the Canadian
business, supported by the Montreal and Toronto wholesale
houses, undertook to make arrangements for a bonding system,
and after some negotiations with the Government at Wash-
ington were successful in their object. In the spring of 1852,
permission was given to allow goods for Canada to pass
through on the bonding system, at present in operation. The
writer, with representatives of two other wholesale houses,
spent a week in New York with brokers at the Custom House!
completing the arrangements for the despatch of the first goods
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 73
by that route, and after many days' delay on the road, a large
lot of goods, comprising the bulk of the spring imports, arrived
at Oswego.
Toronto Bay was then frozen solid, and as merchants east,
west and north were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the goods,
there was no other course but to make a channel for the steamer
Admiral to get out. This was accomplished by sawing the ice
from Yonge Street to the Queen's wharf, and in this way the
spring goods arrived comparatively early.
First Great World's Pair.
The year 1851 was remarkable for the grand project of Prince
Albert to assemble a display of the industrial resources of the
world. Subscriptions were raised, men of science were chosen to
form a committee, and a colossal palace of glass was erected from
a design suggested by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Joseph Paxton, head
gardener to the Duke of Devonshire, at Chatsworth. The
building from which the design was taken was the smallest of
the conservatories of the " Palace of the Peak," and contained
the celebrated Victoria Regia lily. When the great palace was
built in Hyde Park, a mighty bazaar of nations was summoned.
Nor was the summons unavailing. Before the opening Lon-
don was crowded with foreigners and native visitors, all anxious
to enter the wonderful dome. Even immense London could not
afford accommodation for the throngs that poured in ; people
walked the streets through the night or slept in cabs, unable to
procure a bed.
And who that witnessed it can ever forget the opening scene ?
Her Majesty, in the pride of beauty and glory and domestic
happiness, looking around on the representatives of all nations,
while the Venerable Archbishop of Canterbury pronounced his
benediction on that meeting of the nations in peace and pros-
perity.
Then day by day poured into that fancy palace the strangely
mixed crowd of voluble Frenchmen, grave Germans, sharp
Americans, active, monkey-like Chinamen, and sensual-looking
74 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Turks ; while the rustics, who had never travelled beyond their
native village, gazed with astonishment, and even with awe, as
they entered the lofty transept, which actually enclosed tall
elm trees, and where the tropical plants, the fountains, the
statuary, and the rich fabrics of India, realized the tale of the
" Arabian Nights," and seemed the work of enchantment.
The building was afterwards removed to Sydenham, and was
greatly enlarged so as to form the now celebrated Crystal
Palace.
At this exihibition Canada was well represented, and obtained
a large number of prizes and medals.
Turning the First Sod of the Northern Railway.
On October 15th, 1851, the first sod of the Northern Railway
was turned by Lady Elgin, assisted by Mayor Bowes, nearly
opposite the Parliament Buildings.
Mayor Bowes was in full official costume — cocked hat and
sword, knee breeches, silk stockings, and shoes with steel
buckles.
The earth dug by her ladyship, with a beautiful silver spade,
was taken by His Worship a short distance in an oak wheel-
barrow, the whole ceremony creating great interest.
Mr. F. C. Capreol had so far seen his much ridiculed scheme
carried into effect.
No longer laughed at and spoken of as " Mad Capreol," as the
writer has often heard him called, he had shown great method
in his madness. Having been a fellow-passenger with him
when crossing on his visit to England to raise the necessary
capital — at first by a kind of lottery scheme, and- afterwards in
the legitimate way — I saw his determination to carry out his
plans, and the clear prospect he had of the future of the under-
taking.
Had his life been spared, the Huron and Ontario Ship
Canal or a Ship Railway might soon be an accomplished fact,
not at all more improbable than the Manchester Ship Canal
was fifteen or twenty years ago.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 75
Tariff in 1850-51.
Mr. W. H. Smith, writing at this time on the tariff, says : " We
are a queer people. While we are writing a public meeting is
being held in the St. Lawrence Hall, Toronto, for the purpose,
as the requisition says, of addressing a petition to Her Most
Gracious Majesty, Queen Victoria, and the British Legislature,
for the purpose of obtaining a more favorable home market for
the staple productions of the country than we at present enjoy,
and for the adoption of such a course of commercial policy
towards the Colonies generally as may prove beneficial to them
and to the Mother Country.
" Do not these gentlemen fear that the British Prime Minis-
ter, in glancing over the Canadian tariff, will be apt to teil the
signers of the petition that 'Jupiter helps those who help
themselves.'
" In our legislative wisdom we charge on sugar, tea and coffee,
articles which we cannot produce ourselves, a duty of 12 J per
cent.; while on tobacco, which we can grow, we charge the
same.
" On wine, rum and brandy, which we do not make, we charge
25 per cent. ; while hemp, flax and tow, undressed lard, charcoal,
broom corn and wool are admitted at 2 \ per cent. ; and, still
further, as if this were not sufficient, we extend our liberality
and admit pot and pearl ash, wheat and Indian corn duty
free."
All dry goods, hardware, etc., at this time paid a duty of 12 J
per cent, ad valorem.
Railway Opening and Steamship Contracts.
In the fall of 1852 the locomotive Lady Elgin was tried, on
the 6th October, on the Northern Railroad, by order of the
Engineer, under whose direction the engine was erected. This
was the first locomotive run in Upper Canada.
A considerable number of persons congregated near the
76 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Queen's wharf to witness the trial, and appeared much pleased
with the " iron horse " as he snorted along the track. The rails
were laid for about fourteen miles.
The contract for the railroad from Toronto to Guelph was
given at this time to Messrs. C. S. Gzowski & Co., for £7,408
currency per mile — £355,600 for the whole distance.
It was also in 1852 that the contract for the establishment of
a line of steamers between Liverpool and the St. Lawrence was
completed, the contracting parties being Mr. J. Young, then late
Commissioner of Public Works, and Messrs. Kean & McCarthy,
the ship owners.
The conditions were that Messrs. Kean & McCarthy should
keep up a regular line of large and powerful screw steamers to
leave Liverpool for the St. Lawerence monthly or fortnightly,
while navigation was open, and monthly during the winter to
Portland ; the maximum passage rates to be £21 sterling, first-
class ; £12 12s., second-class ; and £6 6s., third-class. These
steamers began to run the following spring.
Two years later the contract was annulled, and an arrange-
ment made with the firm of Edmonstone, Allan & Co., of Mon-
treal. The small fleet of the last named company has since
developed into the line well known as the Allan Line of Trans-
Atlantic Steamships.
At this time Toronto had begun to display a rapidity of
growth and stability, produced by wholesome enterprise, both
encouraging and remarkable. In describing its appearance in
1852 it was said that such strides had been taken in improve-
ment that the effect produced on the mind of a stranger, when
entering the bay and viewing the city from the deck of a
steamer, was very pleasing and striking. In the evening the
spires and domes, lighted up with the rays of the setting sun,
the dark woods at the back, and the numerous handsome villas
which flanked the bay, combined in creating an effective coup
d'oeil.
A most prominent object at the eastern end was the jail, by
no means a picturesque or prepossessing one, but still might be
taken as an indication of the generally substantial and appro-
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 7-9
priate character of the buildings, being a solid symmetrical
mass of gray lime-stone, sufficiently significant of its purpose —
perhaps in the same sense as that in which the traveller stated
that he always knew he was in a civilized country when he saw
a gibbet !
Be this as it may, the writer has a distinct recollection of
seeing two men hung off a platform erected on the west side of
the wall which surrounded the building, and which is now
replaced by extensive works of the Gas Company.
The lighthouse on the point of the peninsula, the Lunatic
Asylum, Government Wharf, Parliament Buildings, City Hall,
and Trinity Church, all attracted the eye.
The sites of the St. James' Cathedral and St. Michael's could
also be seen.
The Industrial Crystal Palace.
Exhibitions of the Provincial Agricultural Association of
Canada West, incorporated in July, 1847, were held irregularly
till 1852.
At the close of the Exhibition in Toronto in 1852, it was re-
solved to memorialize the Government to appropriate a certain
sum of money to purchase land whereon to erect permanent
buildings for the holding of their annual exhibitions.
To this resolution is "due the structure then erected, for in
granting to the Corporation of the City of Toronto the fee
simple of that portion of the garrison reserve lying immediately
south of the Lunatic Asylum, for a public park, the Govern-
ment made it a condition that not less than twenty acres should
be appropriated for the holding of the Provincial Association's
annual exhibitions whenever it might be required for that pur-
pose.
This condition was accepted by the Council with a liberality
which did them honor, at once appropriating £5,000 for the
purpose of erecting permanent buildings thereon.
On the 15th July, 1852, the corner stone was laid by W. H.
Boulton, Mayor, in the presence of a large number of citizens.
80 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
The band of the Royal Canadian Rifles performed at intervals
during the ceremony.
The building was afterwards used as a military barracks,
and was occupied by the 13th Hussars, the band of which regi-
ment for several years contributed so much to the pleasure of
the people of Toronto; and here, in 1860, His Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales was entertained at a public ball.
The Anglo-American Magazine says : — " Dwelling in a city
whose every stone and brick has been placed in its present
position under the eyes of many who remember the locality as
the sight of primeval woods, the region of swamp ; of some who
have seen the lonely wigwam of the Mississauqua give place to
the log house of the earlier settler, and this in its turn disappear
to be replaced by the substantial and elegant structures of
modern art, — we find we are justified in yielding to the pardon-
able if vain desire to tell the wonderful metamorphosis of
forty years.
" It is meet that we should rejoice over the triumphs of civi-
lization, the onward progress of our race, the extension of our
language, institutions, taste, manners, customs and feelings.
" In no spot within British territory could we find aggregated,
in so striking a manner, the evidences of this startling change.
Qh none should we trace, so strongly marked, the imprint of
national emigration. In few discover such ripened fruits of
successful colonization)
"The genius of Britain presides over the destiny of her off-
spring. Llhe glory of the empire enshrouds the prosperity of
the colony, the noble courage and strength of the lion inspires
and protects the industry of the beaver. The oak and the
maple unite in their shadows over the breasts that beat in unison
for the common weajj
" We boast not superior intelligence, we claim not greater or
even an equal share of local advantages over the sister cities of
our country ; but we assert, in sincerity of belief and injustice
to ourselves, a rapidity of growth and a stability produced by
wholesome enterprise as encouraging as it is remarkable.
fine bay in front of the city is formed by the remarkable
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 81
peninsula (this was before the gap was formed) which, com-
mencing at the river Don, stretches away westward, with a
singular bend or curve at its western extremity, until it ap-
proaches the mainland opposite the garrison. Here a very
narrow channel, marked by buoys, adm|ts vessels of almost any
tonnage to shelter and safe anchorage./
" Over this extended sheet of water may be seen, in summer,
many a graceful and tidy little craft, gliding along under the
skilful management of the amateur crew — yachting being a
favorite amusement and source of recreation to the inhabitants/
after the toils of the day and the confinement of their occu/-
pations. A considerable number of steamers, both British and
American, arriving and departing almost hourly, and numerous
sailing vessels, laden with the produce of the back country pr
freighted with valuable imports from other lands, impart ai^i-
mation and bustle to the scene, which truly indicates the corh-
mercial activity of a thriving population ; while the wharves
which skirt the bay, with their large warehouses and busy-
throng of stevedores, porters, carts and cabs, confirm this
impression."
The assessed value of the property in the Corporation, in
1852, was $12,465,600. The value of dutiable and free goods
imported was $2,778,388 ; the exports, $1,636,824.
In the past year the beauty of the principal streets had
increased very greatly. St. James' Cathedral had been com-
pleted, except the spire. This church, built of white brick (for
which Toronto has become famous), in the restored style of
architecture, was then decidedly the most beautiful and appro-
priate religious structure to be found in Canada. In the order
of civil architecture, the Court House, then in course of erection,
was considered to be as fine a structure of its own kind as the
church.
But public buildings may sometimes proceed rapidly, while
general distress prevents improvement in domestic archi-
tecture. This, however, was not the case in Toronto.
A correspondent of the Montreal Herald writes at this time :
" Upon King Street we noticed the builders at work in five or
82 TORONTO "CALLED BA.CK."
six places, besides observing several new and handsome brick
houses, where a year ago wooden ones stood. Our readers who
are acquainted with Toronto will remember the corner of Bay
and King Streets, which used to be disfigured by some wooden
shanties ; these have been completely swept away, to make
room for elegant brick houses. While the retailers have been
improving their places of business, the wholesale houses have
also continued to augment in number and beauty.
During the time the Parliament remained in Toronto, between
1850 and 1857, many men celebrated in history could be heard
to speak. Papineau, W. L. Mackenzie, Cauchon, Cartier, Prince,
Merritt, Gugy, Drummond, Dorion, Hincks, D'Arcy McGee,
Baldwin, John Sandfield Macdonald, and others.
When Mr. McGee rose to speak, the most profound attention
prevailed, all admitting the superior charm of his eloquence.
No matter what the subject of debate might be, it was invested
with new interest, and having at command art, science, poetry
and history, his ideas were clothed in most beautiful language,
and were full of originality, and given with such a sprinkling
of wit and humor as never failed to delight his listeners.
In 1852 Mr. George Brown made his maiden Parliamentary
speech, which occupied two hours.
On the 28th of December, 1853, Lord Elgin left Toronto, and
was succeeded by Sir Edmund Head, in 1854.
The Esplanade.
It is said that when the Grand Trunk Railway was being
built, the Company offered to build stone wharves or quays along
the front of the city, with iron bridges across the tracks at the
principal crossings, and at less than the cost of the present
Esplanade, but through the obstructiveness of some, and the
squabbling and procrastination of others, of the Corporation, the
offer was withdrawn.
At present when so much public attention is directed to the
proposed new street and general improvement of the city front,
it may be interesting to refer to the various schemes proposed
TORONTO TEOM 1847 TO 1857. 85
from 1850 to 1854, and for this purpose we extract a few items
from Maclear's Anglo- American Magazine.
The "Editor's Shanty" was supposed to be the resort of
representative characters, then living under the Sobriquets of
the "Doctor," the "Laird," and the "Major."
It is only fair to state that Sandford Fleming, C.M.G., C.E.,has
informed me that he was the writer of these articles in the
Canadian Journal, to which he referred me at his residence in
Ottawa.
These gentlemen met to discuss the current events, and to
review the literature of the week.
The question of the proposed Esplanade having come up for
discussion, the Laird begins :
"But, Major, what was ye gaun to say aboot the Toronto
Esplanade at our last meetin', when Mrs. Grundy telt us the
supper was ready ? I see the newspapers are makin' a great
fuss about it now. One day we have a long report from Cum-
berland to the Northern Railway directors, another day a letter
from the City Surveyor about it, in another it is announced
that Gzowski and the Grand Trunk contractors are gaun to
make the thing at once. Did ye hear ony thing mair aboot it ?"
MAJOR — " I was then going to draw your attention to a long
letter which appeared in the May number of the Canadian
Journal, prior to any of these you have just mentioned, the
author of which signs himself ' A Member of the Canadian
Institute/ and advocates strongly the importance of making
provision for public walks, baths, wash-houses, etc., and sets
forth a new plan for the Esplanade, by which the railroads can
be brought into the very heart of the city without the necessity
of level crossings. I thought at the time that the plan, although
probably too costly, and on too grand a scale, was a feasible one,
and deserving of more attention than it seems to have received.
Since then I am glad to see that the Chief Engineer of the
Northern Railway has taken it up, and strongly recommended
its adoption, with slight modifications."
LAIRD — " Before we gang any further, I would like to ken the
correct meaning of level crossings, for there were nae railroads
86 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
when I was at schule, maist saxty years syne, and I'm rather
particularly concerned in this matter — one of my friends has a
water lot near Yonge Street."
" MAJOR — " When one railway crosses another on the same
horizontal plane, or where a railway crosses a street in the same
manner, that is to say, without either being bridged, it is termed
a level crossing, and they are the cause of a great many acci-
dents."
DOCTOR — " You will recollect, Laird, of that serious collision
only a few months ago, near Detroit, when one passenger train
ran into another on a level crossing, to the great destruction of
life and property. Level crossings have always been a source
of danger, and should, at any cost, be avoided, if possible, in
crowded thoroughfares."
LAIRD—" I understand it noo. Indeed I thocht it was that,
yet I aye like to mak sure ; but I dinna see why the needna
gang slower through a town ; there's na use to biss through as
if the deil was at their heels."
DOCTOR — " Yes, my good Laird, but there are innumerable
chances of danger, however slow the trains may travel, — the
locomotives themselves have been known to become' unmanage-
able and run away. Horses are apt to get frightened, women
and children may be overtaken while crossing the tracks, or
old gentlemen, like yourself and the Major, who do not hear
quite so well as in your younger years, may make even as nar-
row escapes as he did at Waterloo."
LAIRD — " Toot, mon, I can hear yon whussle half a mile awa'.
I'm no sae deaf as a' that, and maybe there are some older and
deafer than me (joking). I'll tell ye, Doctor, gin there be as
muckle danger as you say, gentlemen in your profession should
keep a calm sough. A broken leg noo and then would aye be
mair grist to your mill. I think we'd better cry quits noo, as
we're gettin' aff the thread, and I'm anxious to hear aboot this
plan of the Major's. It's strange I didna see the letter he spoke
of."
MAJOR — " Indeed, Laird, it's altogether my fault. I lent the
Journal for May to a friend of mine, who only returned it a few
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1858. 87
days ago, but here it is ; and, although the letter is rather long,
it refers to various other matters, which we may discuss at an-
other time. With your permission I will read the letter."
DOCTOR AND LAIRD — " Do. Go on, go on."
MAJOR — " There was a lithographed plan which accompanied
the letter, and you will have some trouble to understand the
letter without it. However, here goes."
[Major reads the letter] :
" To the Editor Canadian Journal, — The water frontage of
Toronto, extending over a length of from two to three miles, and
up to the present time almost unoccupied, is now about to be
used for railway purposes.
"Adjoining thereto, and extending about three-fourths of a
mile along the south side of Front Street, immediately to the
east of the old fort, a tract of land, averaging in width about
100 feet, was some years ago reserved for the public as a pro-
menade or pleasure ground, which reserve is also being appro-
priated by the railway companies for their own use.
"Much has lately been ^written, and far more has been said,
regarding the occupation of the water frontage by the railway
companies. One party advocates the conversion of every foot
of ground now lying waste, into track, brick, and mortar.
Another party, with more concern for the healthful recreation
of future generations than the convenience of the present, insists
on these reserves for pleasure grounds being retained for the
purpose they were originally intended to serve. All must admit
that the interests of the public and the railway companies are
one in the most important particulars, and that every facility
should be afforded them in endeavoring to establish their work ;
but, if in so doing it be found expedient that these public
grounds should be surrendered for the purposes of business- —
the life and soul of all commercial cities — it ought not to be
forgotten that posterity has some claim on the representatives
of the public at the present day, and some effort should be
made to provide breathing space for those who come after ,us.
" It will indeed be a reproach if, within the limits of the City
of Toronto, comprising an area of six square miles, and which,
88 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
half a century ago, was just emerging from the wilderness, a
few acres be not set apart and held inviolate for these purposes."
DOCTOR — " I quite agree with the writer in many respects.
It will indeed be a great reproach if space be not left for a few
parks and public walks. She has now, exclusive of the pro-
posed Esplanade and Terrace, only one lung for the airing of
40,000 human beings, with almost a certainty of that number
reaching 100,000 in ten years. I refer to the College Avenue,
a strip of land about half a mile long, by 130 feet wide, and if
that be insufficient now for the recreation of the inhabitants,
what will it be in ten years hence ? "
LAIRD — "Onybody will admit that the arguments in favor of
public works are guid, an' that it's better to hae nae " level
crossings," if ye can arrange so as no to hae them, yet if I
understand your plan, Major, I dinna think it'll work weel.
Look at the number of bridges required to cross the railways,
and the trouble it wad be to climb up a slope as high as the
tap of a locomotive, just to come doun the other side again, and
a' the gudes frae the wharves wad hae to be drawn up to the
bridge and doun again to the street, in the same way. I rather
think the carters wad gie up work a'thegither."
MAJOR — "Ah, Laird, I see you are laboring under a mistake.
You have forgotten that Front Street is already about as high
as the bridges would require to be, and that slopes would be
wanted only from the wharves upward, similar to the present
roads from the wharves up to the level of Front Street."
[Major continues to read] :
" It is proposed to set apart a strip of land throughout the
entire length of the city, of a width sufficient to accommodate
nine railway tracks, to be level with the wharves, to be crossed
only by bridges, and to be used solely as a railway approach
and for railway connections.
" Front Street to be converted into a Terrace above the level
of and separate from the railway approach, by a retaining wall
and parapet, to be 120 feet wide, and planted with rows of
trees throughout the entire length.
" The entire area south of the Front Street Terrace to be on
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 89
the wharfage level, and reached by slopes from the bridges.
The bridges may be of iron, of a simple ornamental character.
" It is also proposed to reserve certain portions for the land-
ing of steamboats, for private forwarders, for baths and wash-
houses, or for general public service. The places allotted for
this purpose on the plans are situated at the foot of York and
Yonge Streets, and at the rear of the St. Lawrence Hall, and
are named, respectively, the Niagara, the City, and St. Law-
rence Basins. While contemplating improvements on so grand
a scale, the selecting of a site to be dedicated to a great public
building should not be lost sight of. I refer to one of which
even now the want is felt, viz. : The Canadian Museum, for the
formation of which the Canadian Institute is making strenu-
ous exertions, and also a permanent home for that Society.
"The very best situation would doubtless be in the vacant
space at the intersection of Yonge Street with the grand Ter-
race (where the Custom House and Soap Factory now stand),
or south of the railway tracks facing the bridges from Yonge
Street, as shown on the plan.
" There can be no good reason why the building should not be
sufficiently extensive to include a Merchants' Hall and Exchange
under the same roof, or offices for telegraph companies, brokers,
etc., in its basement, or why it should not be as ornamental
and imposing as its central position would require, or the pur-
pose of its erection demand."
Mr. Cumberland's report is then read, when the Major pro-
ceeds.
MAJOR — " After these two documents we come to the last that
has appeared on this subject — a letter from Mr. Thomas, City
Surveyor. I feel rather fatigued, Doctor, perhaps you will
read the extract marked. You will see that the leading feature
of Mr. Thomas' plan is to build a street or Esplanade over the
railway tracks on stone piers and brick arches, extending the
whole length from Simcoe to Parliament Streets, with flights of
stone steps leading up thereto at intervals. I can scarcely yet
venture an opinion, but it seems to be rather an extravagant
idea of the value of space, to put one street over another on
7
90 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
arches, when the same object can be attained at much less cost
by taking in sixty or seventy feet more of the bay."
DOCTOR reads : " I purpose, therefore, to make Front Street,
from Simcoe to Parliament, a business street, and of such a
width as not to destroy the Custom House, or the valuable
wholesale and other stores already built and now in course of
erecti on on the south side of Front Street to the Esplanade,
securing the frontage of these valuable water lots.
"I would then leave from Front Street a depth of from one
hundred to one hundred and fifty feet,> for the building lots,
whereon to erect, as may be required, the railway stations, the
proposed large hotel, wholesale stores and goods warehouses,
with other principal frontages to the railways on the wharfage
level on the south ; also to an Esplanade on the south of Front
Street, constructed on piers and arches over the lines of rail-
way, sixty-six feet in width, on the Front Street level, with an
open space of twenty feet area for light and ventilation to the
lower storey of the buildings in front of the tracks. The
buildings would have their north frontage on Front Street;
passengers would enter the respective stations as the goods
would be received on Front Street. The Esplanade, by this
arrangement across the most central part of the city, would be
in the proper place on the Front Street level, with the railroad
cars running underneath, having arched openings on the north
side of the railroad to the buildings, and on the south side to the
wharfage, being in appearance like a continued station. The
passengers would be protected from heat and dust in summer,
and the trains from snow accumulations in winter.
" The buildings being erected with handsome stone frontings
to the Esplanade and Bay, would give the city a magnificent
appearance, with the arched frontage of the Esplanade as a
basement to the whole.
" Trees may be planted for shade opposite the piers on the
lower level, which would form an avenue for the raised Espla-
nade, along the entire distance, which might be limited at the
outset, from Simcoe Street to George Street. From that point
east and west the railroad may be open. The raised Esplanade
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 91
over the railroad to have five lines of rails, with five arches in
brickwork turned over them, continuous on stone piers, backed
up with brickwork."
LAIRD — "Ah, doctor, I canna say I like yere plan either.
Nane o' them are equal to the ane I had many a chat about wi'
my auld friend, Sir R Bonnycastle, now dead, poor man, an' wi'
Mr. Howard, the architect. Keep awa' yere new-fangled plans
frae me ; what wi' yere bridges, an' brick arches, an' tree-plant-
in', and level crossin's, and so on, it's enough to dumbfounder a
body. Na, na, gentlemen, the auld plan is a plan ye can all
understan', it's a simple one, an' the simplest way is often found
the best way."
DOCTOR — "I confess I feel quite taken aback, not having
thought of the subject before. It appears to me, however, that
there are many good things in all of them, which, if combined
together, might form a better plan than any one of them."
This ends the " sederunt " of these gentlemen in 1850, and it
may be remarked in 1892, that if we cannot have a work as
solid and grand as the Thames embankment in London, we can
have one which, in point of situation and beauty of prospect,
• may form a more delightful promenade, and now appears to be
the time for prompt action to secure its establishment.
Rossin House and Railroads.
With the prospect of railroads being built, and the consequent
increase of travel, the want of a first-class hotel was much felt,
and Messrs. Rossin Bros., very popular and enterprising gentle-
men, then doing the principal watch and jewellery business,
undertook to canvass the wholesale merchants and others in-
terested in the growth and prosperity of the city, for subscrip-
tions towards building an hotel worthy of the Queen City. The
stock was soon taken up, and debentures of £100 or $400 each
were issued, one of which the writer willingly took in behalf of
the firm, just as all others did, not with a view of making
profit, but to promote the enterprise. The ground was secured
and the first hotel built and finished, and was placed in the
92 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
hands of Mr. A. C. Joslin as proprietor. It being found that it
did not pay, Messrs. Rossin Bros, bought up the debentures at 50
per cent, discount, which the holders were willing to lose to keep
the concern afloat, and in this way it was continued till it was
burned down. It was soon rebuilt on a much grander scale,
and has gone on increasing in size and splendor ever since.
In June of 1853 the Grand Trunk Eailway was opened to
Portland, and at the close of the year the Great Western was
opened from the Suspension Bridge to Hamilton and London,
and within a month was completed to Windsor.
The contract for the road from Toronto to Montreal was
signed by Mr. Jackson and his associates on the arrival in
London of the Hon. John Ross. The line from Toronto to
Hamilton was undertaken by another contractor, at £1,000
more per mile than the Grand Trunk.
The writer travelled in the old leather-swung stage from
Hamilton to London the night before the opening of the road,
and in anticipation of their occupation being about to go the
following day, the hotel-keepers at the different places where
the horses were changed were especially grumpy.
On the 9th of May, 1853, the first ocean-going steamer
arrived at Quebec.
Mercantile Agencies.
The system of reporting the standing of business men by
regular subscription rates was commenced in Toronto in 1855.
Previous to that time there had been private correspondence
with New York, but no regular agency had been opened, nor
was the arrangement publicly known.
A Mr. Hart was sent to Toronto by the firm of R. G. Dun &
Co. at this time, to obtain subscribers, and the firm of Taylor &
Stevenson was among the first to give their names. Having
received a sufficient number to warrant them in opening an
office, Mr. Kim ball arrived shortly afterwards from New York,
and commenced his^ agency in the Exchange Buildings, now
the Imperial Bank, Wellington Street.
TORONTO FROM 1847 TO 1857. 93
The principle of giving information as to every man in busi-
ness was not well received by a portion of the press. Several
severe articles appeared, denouncing the introduction of such a
system of espionage. The agents were called pimps, detectives,
spies, informers, and eaves-dropper <, and the business com-
munity was called upon to denounce the whole business, and
stamp it out, as a blot upon the respectability of the city.
Lawsuits for defamation of character were threatened, and
although the agent and his assistants were well received per-
sonally, the system was looked upon as wholly disreputable. .
To think that a man's private business was to be exposed by
strangers, who had no legitimate means of knowing the circum-
stances, was said to be an outrage on public decency, and only
a system of black-mail for the purpose of extorting money and
compelling business houses to subscribe to the agency in self-
defence.
Notwithstanding all this opposition, the business grew in
strength from day to day, and merchants found that the infor-
mation received was, on the whole, of a more reliable character,
because more disinterested and independent, than could be
obtained by references from one house to another. It had been
known that merchants' references were more or less unreliable,
on account of the interest they had in keeping up the credit of
their customers, who, if in the books of a house to any great
extent, would not be likely to receive an unfavorable character,
and in this way other houses would be led to give them credit
on the strength of these interested statements, often resulting
in a loss to the new creditors, while the old had an opportunity
of reducing their line of credit, and saving themselves either
partially or entirely from loss.
In this appeared to be the secret of success of the mercantile
agencies, the information given being alike to all subscribers, with
changes in rating given from time to time, and all preferences
or securities regularly registered and reported.
The style of R. G. Dun & Co. was shortly afterwards changed
to Dun, Wiman & Co., by the introduction of Mr. Erastus
Wiman into the firm. The name of
94 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
MR. ERASTUS WIMAN
is so intimately connected with Toronto as to deserve more than
a passing notice. Although a resident of the United States,
he is still a British subject, a Canadian and a Torontonian, and
owes his present high position more to Canada than to the
United States. In Toronto he commenced his career as a printer
boy at $1.50 per week, which at twenty he was proud to have
advanced to $4.50 per week. From this he became a market
reporter, then commercial reporter on the staff of the Globe, and
Superintendent of the Toronto Exchange, and in 1860 became
connected with the mercantile agency of R. G. Dun & Co. He
was subsequently promoted to the position of travelling
reporter, and in 1862 became manager of the Toronto office,
succeeding Mr. Kimball. In 1863 he was transferred to the
Montreal office — both the Toronto and Montreal districts being
placed under his administration. This continued till 1866, when
he was transferred to the New York office, and admitted as a
partner in the firm. Owing to the war the business had run
down, and was sustained chiefly by the amount of money made
in Canada. This success, with his knowledge of printing, gave
Mr. Wiman great advantages, and firmly established his posi-
tion. The business has grown to vast proportions. The books
of the firm are published quarterly, and contain one million
names. They employ forty printers, and have standing in type
twenty tons of agate, costing one dollar per pound.
There are one hundred and six branch establishments through-
out the country — forty of the managers being Canadians, with
salaries ranging from fifteen hundred to twelve thousand dollars
per annum. There are about one thousand Canadians employed
in the business.
On the death of Mr. Barlow, the interest of that gentleman
passed into the hands of Mr. Wiman, and he became virtually
the working-head of the entire agency. The consolidation of
the two Canadian Telegraph Companies is due. to a great ex-
tent, to his assistance, placing the whole system on a paying
basis, Mr. H. P. Dwight being made general superintendent.
TORONTO FEOM 1847 TO 1857. 95
The Close of the First Decade.
After making his purchases for the Fall trade of 1856, the
writer came out to Toronto and found everything apparently
prosperous. The importations for the year exceeded those of
any previous year, reaching a point equal to 1866, ten years
later. The progress of Toronto during the ten years ending in
1856 was accelerated by the opening of railways, east, west and
north, and by that time its population was 45,000, showing
an increase of 23,000 in ten years ; the number of its houses was
7,476 ; the assessment of property had increased from $69,000
to $515,000, and the imports from $750,000 to $6,670,500.
Toronto had been reaping the first fruits of her connections
through the Grand Trunk and Great Western Railways, and
the close of this, the first decade, contained in this sketch,
found Toronto improved almost beyond recognition to those
who had not seen it during that time. The wide streets, con-
taining splendid shops, and the number of handsome churches,
all conspired to impress a visitor with the growing character of
the place.
Dr. Mackay writes of it at this time as " a thing of yesterday,
a mushroom, compared with the antiquity of Montreal and
Quebec, though rivalling the one and exceeding the other in
trade and population. It is built on the American plan of
straight lines, preferring the chess board to the maze, and the
regularity of art to the picturesque irregularity of nature. The
streets are long and straight. There is a Yankee look about
the whole place which it is impossible to mistake, a pushing,
thriving, business-like, smart appearance in the people and the
streets, in the stores, and in the banks and churches.
"Looked upon from any part of itself, Toronto does not greatly
impress the imagination, but seen from the deck of a steamer,
it has all the air of wealth and majesty that belongs to a great
city. Its numerous churches, stores and public buildings, its
wharves, factories, and tall chimneys, mark it for what it is, a,
thriving place."
96 TORONTO " CALLED BACK. '
During this decade the following buildings had been erected :
The General Hospital, Normal and Model Schools, St. James'
and St. Michael's Cathedrals, Knox Church, St. Lawrence Build-
ings, Nordheimer's Buildings on Toronto Street, the Exchange
— now the Imperial Bank, Free Library Building, Post Office,
City Schools, the University, several Banks, and the Rossin
House Hotel.
Toronto was now the headquarters of the Royal Canadian
Rifles. The science of photography had lately been discovered,
and artists styled photographers and ambrotypists began to
multiply.
Manufactures had not shown much progress, and consisted
chiefly of wood-working and planing mills, boots, shoes, safes,
soap, spices, paper, and blank books. The reciprocity treaty
with the United States was signed at Washington on the 5th
June, 1854.
From the time of the introduction of the bonding system
through the United States, British goods to Boston generally
came to Toronto via Ogdensburg, and from New York via
Lewiston, until the opening of the Suspension Bridge, and pas-
sengers sometimes had difficulty in making connections in winter.
In the winter of 1856-7 the writer had secured his passage
to Liverpool by Cunard steamer from Boston, and started in
good time to Prescott, intending to cross to Ogdensburg to
connect with train for Boston. On arriving at Prescott a vio-
lent snow storm prevailed, and the captain of the steam ferry
refused to cross. On telegraphing across to our agents, Messrs.
Stark, Hill & Co., Mr. Stark, who had been a sea captain,
immediately came across in a small row boat and offered to
row me across. As the storm grew worse, while thanking the
captain for his kindness and courage, I declined to risk both
our lives when the steamer would not risk the crossing, and
telegraphed to Messrs. Hill, Sears & Co., of Boston, to write
to my family in England the cause of my detention. Not
wishing to return to Toronto, I went on to New York and
waited for the next Cunard steamer from that port.
TORONTO FROM 185T TO 1867.
Financial Crisis in 1857.
Returning to make the spring purchases in Europe, and back
to Toronto in February, 1857, there were indications of an im-
pending change.
The stoppage for the time of railway operations and the
circulation of money was soon felt all over the country, and
the testing time of the 4th of March was the crisis, when pay-
ments at the banks were so bad as to cause a number of failures.
In a short time the panic ensued with full force, and the whole
picture suddenly changed. Railway enterprise suddenly came
to an end ; some of the largest houses were compelled to sus-
pend payment. Old established houses smashed like glass
bottles, and mercantile credit collapsed.
To show, however, that this state of affairs was not confined
to Canada, one fact may be stated. During this year the
deficiency in' remittances from the United States to England
amounted to nearly fifty millions sterling, the great bulk of
which was never paid.
British capital to the amount of $450,000,000 was invested
in the United States at this time.
The whole gold coinage of the United States from 1793 to
1st January, 1856, was only $396,895,574 ; the silver coinage
the same period was $100,729,602, and copper $1,572,206; the
three together amounting to $498,197,383.
All the gold would not suffice to pay back the capitalists,
98 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
and more than half of the silver would be required for the
purpose.
So depressed was trade in Toronto that hundreds of persons
in the city who had heretofore enjoyed all the ordinary
comforts of life, for the first time felt the sharp pinch of
poverty. There was much suffering and want amongst the
laboring classes, with a corresponding amount of drunkenness
and crime. There is good reason to believe that several persons
died of sheer starvation. For the first time in her history her
streets swarmed with mendicants.
The British Colonist of August 4th says : " Pass when you
will, you are beset with some sturdy applicant for alms. They
dodge you round corners, follow you into shops, they are to be
found at the church steps, and at the door of the theatre. They
infest the entrance to every bank. They crouch in the lobby
of the post office, assail you on every street, knock at your
private residence, walk into your place of business, and beard
you with a pertinacity that takes no denial.
" In this, our good city of Toronto, begging has assumed the
dignity of a craft. Whole families sally forth and have their
appointed round. Children are taught to dissemble, to tell a
lying tale of misery and woe, and beg or steal as occasion offers."
This picture is far from attractive. The advent of brighter
days, however, brought in a very perceptible change, and when
trade assumed its normal condition, our streets ceased to be
suggestive of poverty and mendicancy ; but it was not till 1859
that business resumed its healthy appearance. The writer re-
turned to Europe in May, 1857.
The Desjardins Canal Accident.
During the writer's stay in Toronto at this time the most
terrible accident which had happened since the opening of the
railroads, occurred at seven o'clock of the evening of the 12th
March, 1857, at the bridge over the Desjardins Canal, a mile
east of Hamilton. The train from Toronto, consisting of a
locomotive, tender, baggage car, and two passenger coaches, the
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 99
latter containing about ninety-three persons, left about five
p.m. When this train reached the junction just above Hamil-
ton, it was ascertained that the train from Detroit had not gone
down to Hamilton, as it was entitled to do, before the Toronto
train. After waiting twenty minutes the Toronto train came
on. Just before reaching the bridge over the Desjardins Canal,
the train left the track by the misplacement of a switch or some
other cause, and ran upon the bridge. The force of the train
knocked the bridge down, and engine, cars and all plunged into
the canal thirty or forty feet below. The catastrophe was
sudden and awful, and the work of death was instantaneous
and complete. The locomotive and tender were entirely sub-
merged, and the baggage car partially so. The forward pas-
senger coach turned bottom upwards, and sank so deep that the
floor was but a few inches above the water. The rear passenger
coach rested upon one end and was about half submerged.
Most of the passengers in the rear of this coach escaped ; the
remainder were drowned.
The writer had a description of the scene inside this car,
from one who escaped, by the wood-work being cut through
with axes within a few inches of his head, and the scene
described was terrible in the extreme.
Every person in the first car perished except four — two men
and two children. One of the children was thrown out of the
window on to the ice ; the other was dragged out of a window,
having been up to its neck in water for fifteen minutes. They
were brother and sister ; their father, mother and uncle perished.
Among those who were killed were Samuel Zimmerman, the
great Railway King of Canada, and Captain Sutherland, owner
of the well-known iron steamer Magnet, with other prominent
men, both American and Canadian.
Royal Mail Ounard Steamer "Persia."
The voyage to New York by the Cunard steamer Persia in
the winter of 1857-8 was unusually stormy, as may be judged
from the report of the ship's " log " published in New York
100 TORONTO " CALLED BACK,"
papers on our arrival. The statement of having encountered
"tremendous hurricanes," although rarely reported, was no
exaggeration. For several days we " lay to," making about
two knots an hour — just enough to keep the engines in motion.
One of the immense paddle-boxes, forty feet in diameter, was
carried away with one sea, and other damage done. The
voyage lasted over sixteen days, nearly double her usual time.
Lord and Lady Napier and suite were passengers, and his
lordship suffered greatly from sea-sickness, while her ladyship,
whose cabin was nearly opposite that of the writer, scarcely
ever missed her morning salt water bath, and was present at
almost every meal at the table of the saloon.
As this magnificent ship was then the finest afloat, and was
the last of the paddle steamers, except the Scotia, a notice of
her may not be out of place.
This leviathan vessel, then the largest steamship in the
world, left Liverpool on the 26th June, 1856, commanded by
Captain Judkins, the Commodore of the Cunard Mail Packets,
on her first vogage across the Atlantic. This Company having
the exclusive contract for carrying the mails, the position of
Commander of one of these steamers was at that time one of
great importance, and the rank equal to a commander in the
Royal Navy.
As the whole Continent was on the qui vive for the arrival of
these steamers at Boston or New York, when the signals went
up by firing guns by day or rockets at night, a whole fleet of
steamers and boats of every size were seen racing for the great
object. Then the scramble up the ladders, the rush for the
latest papers and despatches, and the rush back to the city of
news reporters for the daily papers, and the competition to
publish the latest news, was a lively scene.
The Captain, in full naval uniform, giving orders through
his silver trumpet, before the days of electric bells, as he stood
on the bridge, was the observed of all observers. If we are
about to start, I see him on his elevated position, and it is
interesting to notice how quickly and completely the inward
thought and purpose alters the outward man. He gives a
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 101
quick glance to every part of the ship. He casts his eye over
the multitude coming on board, among whom is the English
Ambassador and suite. He sees the husbands and wives,
mothers and children, entrusted to his care, the valuable cargo,
the carefully counted mail bags, all pouring in, and his form, as
he gives orders for our departure, seems to grow more erect and
firm. The muscles of his face swell, his eyes glow with a new
fire, and his whole person expands with the proud consciousness
of his- importance and responsibility.
In these days of cablegrams, the importance of a Commander
is chiefly dependent on the shortness of the passage made by
his ship, as is described on the arrival of the Etnwia at New
York, on having made the fastest passage on record. "The
steam was puffing out of her sides in short, painful gasps, like
the quickened breath of a grand race-horse, tired, and resting
after a great burst of speed. Commodore Theodore Cook was
proud as the proudest man in America, as he walked down the
noble ship's gang-planks, and then stood up so straight that he
nearly fell backwards. No one seems to have been prepared
for the phenomenal time she had made." This record has been
beaten by the Majestic and Teutonic, in 1891.
Decimal Currency and American Silver.
During the year 1858 the Halifax Currency was abolished and
the Decimal System introduced ; at the same time all accounts
in banks and warehouses were changed from pounds, shillings
and pence to dollars and cents, thereby assimilating the whole
system to that of the United States, getting rid of the con-
fusion with sterling money and facilitating exchanges generally.
During, and subsequent to the American War, American
currency became depreciated, and the premium on gold rose to
a corresponding degree, at last reaching to 250 premium. The
effect of this fluctuation was to drive the silver and gold in the
United States out of circulation, leaving it in the hands of
brokers and speculators, and specie became an article only to be
bought and sold in the Gold Room in New York, where scenes
102 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
of intense excitement might be witnessed every day. The
effect of this was to send it over to Canada in large quantities,
where it passed freely in the purchase of cattle and produce, as
well as of every kind of merchandise, at a discount of from
four to live per cent. The " nuisance " commenced when the
banks refused to take it, and the greatest inconvenience was
experienced by merchants, when making deposits or paying
duties at the Custom House, and messengers were running
round the city every day to get it changed into bankable funds.
At the same time the want of a Canadiam silver and copper
currency was sorely felt. At this juncture the Hon. Francis
Hincks, Minister of Finance, undertook to grapple with the
difficulty, his first act being to issue twenty-five-cent paper
"shin-plasters," and afterwards to get an Act passed for the
issue of a silver and copper coinage, which was shortly after-
wards shipped to Canada from the Royal mint. At the same
time Mr. Hincks undertook, through the agency of Mr. Weir,
of Montreal, to buy up all the American silver in Canada and
ship it back to the United States. The value of the same
was reduced by the Government, and every precaution taken
to prevent its re-importation. This put an end to what was
long known as the " silver nuisance."
In 1858 the City of Ottawa was selected by the Queen as
Capital of the Dominion and permanent seat of Government.
Road to North- West Wanted.
In November, 1858, " Westward !" was the cry. The more
that was learned of the great countries to the North -West,
the stronger grew the desire to establish uninterrupted com-
munication therewith. The means of access to the Eastern
seaboard were already numerous and easy. An open route to
the banks of the Saskatchewan and to the shores of the Pacific
was wanted. The feeling was that more would be gained in a
single year by trading with the North-West than by ten years
of the closest communication with the lower Provinces. The
Mediterranean would not bear upon its bosom so great a burden
TOKONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 103
of wealth as would our lakes and rivers, should the country
become the highway between the two great oceans — the con-
necting link between China and Europe. In this year the
Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway was opened.
Current Events.
The first Toronto City Directory was published by William
Brown, the writer having lent him a copy of the London
(England) Directory as a model. It was only copied in the
classification of the names, the addition of. the street direc-
tory, as at present, not being adopted for several years after-
wards.
In July of this year the writer went to Quebec to meet his
family coming out from England by the North American,
Captain Grange, and had the pleasure of meeting Rev. John
Maclean, now Bishop of Saskatchewan, Rev. Dr. Hellmuth, late
Bishop of Huron, and Rev. Mr. Fleury, Chaplain of the Moly-
neux Blind Asylum in Dublin, to whom I frequently had the
pleasure of listening in the chapel attached to the institution, as
also the delightful music of the choir, the members of which,
including the organist, were all inmates. These gentlemen had
been exceedingly kind and attentive to my family during a long
and stormy voyage, and on their arrival in Toronto all paid us
a visit, expressing, at the same time, their surprise and delight
at the fine appearance of the city.
In this year the 100th Regiment, to which Toronto con-
tributed a large quota, was enrolled in the Regular Army as the
Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian Regiment of the line ; Major-
General Viscount Melville was appointed Colonel-in- Chief. The
Regiment sailed in three detachments, the first from Quebec, by
the Allan steamer Indian, nearly 500 strong; the second per
NovaScotian, 435 strong, and the third per Anglo-Saxon with
remainder.
104 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
Laying First Atlantic Cable.
In July, 1859, the Agamemnon, in laying the Atlantic cable
betwen Valentia Bay, in Ireland, and Trinity Bay, Newfound-
land, a distance of 1,650 nautical miles, was in great danger;
the coils broke adrift and the cable was displaced, as she was
nearly thrown on her beam ends ; the electric instruments were.
all injured and the deck boats got adrift.
On the successful accomplishment of the undertaking, on the
17th of August, messages were exchanged from the Queen to
the President of 'the United t States. Lord Napier was then
British Minister at Washington.
Fetes were given at New York, and a reception to the officers
of the Agamemnon by the City Council. On that occasion,
amongst the toasts proposed was the following:
"The people of Great Britain and Ireland, joined to us in the
Court of Neptune. May that nuptial tie never be put asunder/'
Visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada, 1860.
On the 9th of July, the Prince, accompanied by the Queen
and Prince Consort to Plymouth, embarked on board the line-
of-battle ship Hero, ninety-one guns, Captain Seymour, having
as an escort the ship Ariadne.
The suite of His Royal Highness consisted of the Duke of
Newcastle, Secretary of State for the Colonies; the Lord-
Steward of Her Majesty's Household, Earl of St. Germains ;
His Royal Highness' Governor, Major-General Hon. R. Bruce ;
equerries-in- Wai ting, Major Teesdale, R.A., and Capt. Gray,
Grenadier Guards ; Dr. Acland, His Royal Highness' physician.
The Prince was commissioned to represent Her Majesty in
the opening of the Victoria Bridge, and on nil public occasions ;
to hold levees and receive addresses while in Canada; and in
travelling through the United States he was to assume the title
of Baron Renfrew.
Tho squadron arrived at Halifax on the 29th of July, and,,
after visiting Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, pro-
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 105
ceeded to Quebec, where, leaving the men-of-war, they pro-
ceeded to Montreal, arriving on the 25th of August. The Royal
party remained there for several days, during which the Prince
opened the Industrial Exhibition in the Crystal Palace, at-
tended a magnificent ball given in his honor, laid the corner
stone, being also the last stone, of the Victoria Bridge, and
clinched the last bolt of the Bridge (a silver rivet) with stout
and sturdy blows.
After stopping at Ottawa, Brockville, and Kingston on the
way up, the Prince arrived at Toronto on the 7th of September,
and met with a magnificent reception, the preparations being
on a scale far surpassing those of the other cities he had visited.
The Prince disembarked at the western extremity of the
Esplanade. Here a splendid pavilion was erected facing the
city ; the hangings were of crimson, blue and white, and the
building was adorned with green leaves and festoons of flowers.
The whole was surmounted by a Royal crown, on all sides pro-
tected by flags.
The greatest charm was the entrance arch, which spanned the
street and was really magnificent. It was of the Grecian order,
but exceedingly rich in ornament, and stood sixty feet high.
The pillars were massive, palmated at the top. The interior of
the arch was adorned with beautiful fresco paintings, and the
whole surmounted with a shield bearing the Royal Arms and
a Royal crown supported on each side by a fine display of flags.
A semi-circular platform was erected, with tier upon tier of
seats, and was ornamented with shields and banners, and more
than 10,000 people were in position on it.
In the open space was a troop of cavalry, and in the centre
was a great level platform, with the dais and tJirone under a
gorgeous canopy.
Here the Prince was received by the Mayor, Corporation,
Judges, Members of Parliament, Officers of the Army , and
Volunteers, etc.
After the reading of the address the National Anthem was
sung by 5,000 children, under the leadership of Mr. John Carter,
the Cathedral organist.
8
106 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
It is impossible to do justice to the imposing spectacle pre-
sented when the vast assembly stood up and united in one tre-
mendous burst of cheering, which lasted several minutes, the
ladies waving their handkerchiefs and men nearly killing them-
selves with shouting the loyal hurrahs, while several bands
played the National Anthem.
The Prince was intensely affected at this glorious welcome,
which was so hearty and magnificent.
A procession of militia, firemen and national societies filed
past, drooping banners and cheering vociferously. The Prince's
carriage followed the procession through the principal streets,
cheered by the people, while flowers were strewed before him.
Night having come on by this time the city was most brilliantly
illuminated, and the whole formed a spectacle which, for magni-
ficence, was never surpassed in Canada. The Prince and suite
were entertained during their stay at Government House.
On Sunday the party attended divine service in St. James'
Cathedral, and were met at the door by Bishop Strachan, Rector
Grasett, and other clergymen. The sermon was preached by
the Bishop, from the text, "Give the King Thy judgments,
0 God, and Thy righteousness unto the King's son/' The de-
meanor of the Prince during the service was what might have
been expected. He joined heartily in the responses, and his
entire manner might be copied by some church-going young
men with decided advantage.
The Orangemen had erected a splendid arch at the intersec-
tion of Church and King Streets, with a large painting of King
William III. in a conspicuous position. Instead, however, of
the party driving under the arch along King Street, the car-
riage went down Church to Wellington, and so to the Govern-
ment House. It transpired that this was done by the positive
order of the Duke of Newcastle.
During the week the Prince visited all the principal objects
of interest, and planted a tree in the Horticultural Gardens, at
the same time opening the rustic arbor then recently erected.
He also planted an English silver oak in the Queen's Park,
which stands to the east of the guns, and laid the foundation
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 107
stone of the statue to the Queen (which has never been erected),
surrounded by civic, provincial and other dignitaries ; and in
addition to all he turned the first sod of the Toronto, Grey and
Bruce Railway.
He attended a public ball, given in his honor, in the Crystal
Palace, wearing a uniform of a colonel of the British Army,
unattached, and led off the dance by taking the hand of the
accomplished wife of Mayor Wilson, one of the late Chief
Justices of Ontario, and now Sir Adam Wilson. The ball was
a brilliant scene, and wound up the entertainments given in
honor of the Prince in Toronto.
He next visited Hamilton, and then proceeded to New York,
where the demonstrations were almost extravagant, and did the
people of that city much credit.
The squadron sailed from Portland in November, arriving in
England in a short time.
The Death of Prince Albert.
On the 14th of December, 1861, occurred the most mournful
event in the reign of Queen Victoria, the death of the good and
universally beloved Prince Consort, Prince Albert, a double
calamity to the kingdom, since it also removed for a long
period from public life and public usefulness the affectionate
and inconsolable Queen.
Not Britain alone, but all Europe, and distant India and
America, felt this blow as the shock of an earthquake. In
every place of worship throughout the land, on that fatal Sun-
clay morning, the congregations met in deep sorrow, and the
tears of multitudes were shed in regret for the bitter loss, and
compassion for the heart-broken widow.
For even the distant homage due Her Majesty's high estate
was swallowed up in the sympathy of woman for woman. Nor
was she less revered as the mighty sovereign when recognized
by all as the weeping widow, and true and earnest were the
prayers raised for Her Majesty and her fatherless children.
England never saw King or Consort who so greatly won the
108 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
respect, the confidence and love of his people. Under his quiet,
unassuming and profoundly judicious influence the kingdom
was blessed with prosperity and domestic tranquility, his chil-
dren were trained in the paths of virtue, honor and religion, and
the Roval Consort became not only an example to the country,
but to all Europe. The blessings conferred on society by the
good Prince Albert can never be forgotten, and posterity will
regard with reverence the name of a Prince who, though early
removed from earth, left behind him the glory of a holy and
useful life.
44 Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust."
Buying in Europe.
Forty years ago there was no steam communication between
Canada and Great Britain. The travel was confined exclusively
to the Cunard line, every alternate week from Boston and New
York.
There was little or no travelling across the Atlantic for plea-
sure, and was only indulged in by business men, and of those
comparatively few. Indeed, half-a-dozen wholesale dry -goods
buyers constituted the ocean travellers. The high rate of post-
age, and the absence of express facilities rendered it quite an
object to make use of these "buyers" for the conveyance of
letters and parcels to friends on the " other side," or, as it was
universally called, " at home." If you were " going home/' and
your friends found it out, it would be just as well to provide
an extra trunk, as you could not refuse to carry a letter or a
parcel for a " friend," and having undertaken the friendly com-
mission, you had to run the gauntlet of mail agents, and either
drop the letters into the mail bag on board the steamer, and so
break faith with your friends, or conceal the mail matter as
best you could.
There may be a few to whom a sea voyage is a pleasure, but
to most persons crossing the Atlantic becomes a weary and
monotonous duty, altogether apart from the dangers incurred.
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 109
Not a few of the buyers with whom the writer was acquainted
met with a watery grave. Wilson, of Toronto, Silver, of Halifax,
and Cameron, of Montreal, are amongst the number.
The rule is, that the pleasure of the trip is confined to terra
firma, and to combine business with a reasonable amount of
pleasure is both desirable and profitable.
As one of the magnificent ocean steamers floats at anchor in
the Mersey, or the St. Lawrence, or her dock in New York, she
appears to the beholder a " thing of beauty," and on going on
board, how often the exclamation is heard from untried passen-
gers and their friends when they enter the main saloon, and
gaze on the elegant carpets, luxurious sofas and arm chairs,
mirrors, panels and gilding, the racks of shining glasses, satin
damask curtains, handsome piano, etc., " How beautiful every-
thing is, and how nice it must be to cross the ocean in such a
vessel ! "
Their admiration increases as they view the steward's pantry
adjoining, with its glittering electro-plate and piles of earthen-
ware, all fitted in so as to weather every storm, with a place for
everything and everything in its place. Then the houses on
deck for butcher, baker, pastry cook, ice, vegetables and meat,
and the perfection of ranges in the cook's galley, are all in-
spected with pleasure. The bedrooms are next visited, with
the purest of bed linen, toilet utensils, marble basins, damask
curtains, electric bells, and so on to the engine room, and from
stem to stern, the size of a pin's head of anything cannot be
found out of place ; all that art and skill, combined with wealth,
can do to make a voyage pleasant and comfortable has been
done.
And now the hour of sailing has arrived, and under a full
head of steam the noble vessel moves out seaward, a thing of
life as well as a thing of beauty. If sailing from New York,
the decks are crowded with passengers as they pass Staten
Island and view the charming villas and merchants' mansions
so thickly studded all over that beautiful suburb. Soon out-
side of Sandy Hook, now for the first time the heavy swell and
roll of the Atlantic is felt, and presently the scene changes. The
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
indefatigable stewards are already at work. The elegant crim-
son silk-embroidered table-covers give place to the plain " Tur-
key red," and the satin damask to worsted. The linen covers
are soon doing duty on sofas, where wet boots would prove fatal
to rich plush covering, and the ominous guards are attached to
the dining-tables, something which all sea-goers understand.
A certain lady writer has said that in naming the Cunard
steamers, in some of which she crossed, while there was a Persia,
Gallia, Etruria, etc., it was a wonder that none had been
named the Nausea; and Dickens said on his first trip to
America he counted twenty distinct smells ; but that was long
before the late improvements in ventilation and other matters,
and must have included the smell of beautiful flowers in the
saloon, and the fragrant odors of the cuisine ; and yet there is
something on board every ship to justify the lady's remark as
to the feelings that are experienced when once on the " rolling,
foaming billows." At the worst, at the present time, the voyage
is short, and enjoyed greatly by most after the first desagre-
ments are over, and England is soon reached.
The buyers who go to Europe from Toronto are chiefly
confined to the dry goods and millinery trades ; while a few
visit the markets for fancy goods and toys, a few more for
china and earthenware, and one or two for jewelry, watches
and watch materials ; in these branches of business a visit
twice a year, or once at least, is indispensable; and while a good
share of pleasure may be enjoyed, in the variety of scene, the
attentions of business men, and the delightful scenery through
which the journeys lie, yet the responsibility is very great.
The cheapness of machinery has swept away a crowd of
prejudices and flooded us with comforts and luxuries unknown
to past generations.
As Lancashire is the central point for buyers, the writer is
taken back to his former residence at Brandlesholme Hall, near
Bury, just nine miles from Manchester.
From my hall door one could look out on a forest of factory
chimneys, extending for miles in every direction. Yonder is the
old seat of the Peel family, in which the late Sir Robert Peel
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. Ill
was born, and here the calico printing, from the hand block
work to the copper cylinder productions, has been carried on
from its commencement. Just behind is the Peel monument on
Holcomb Hill ; on the other side is the Grant monument, erected
in honor of the family of that name who, coming here from
Scotland, by wonderful skill and industry in this trade, accumu-
lated an immense fortune.
In London he will complete his purchases, as here, in the
great market of the world, he will find every manufacture
represented, whether British or foreign.
It will be admitted that the position of a buyer for Toronto
is no sinecure, and few require such a combination of qualifica-
tions. To be a successful buyer, taste, judgment, tact, prompt-
ness of decision, and self-reliance are full necessary ; and while
there are many pleasures connected with the travels of a regular
buyer, there is much responsibility.
In London, buyers are paid from £500 to £5,000 sterling a
year, according to their experience, £1,000 being a common
salary. Buyers from Toronto for fancy goods, watch materials,
electro-plate, toys and such goods do not go over as much
ground as dry goods and millinery buyers, yet have to visit
France, Switzerland and Germany, as well as London, Birming-
ham, Sheffield, and other places in England.
The grocery and hardware trades do not necessitate a regular
system of visiting their sources of supply, the bulk of these
trades being done by samples or through agents.
1860 to 1865.
Outside of general events, the local history of Toronto
from 1860 to 1865 was that of the proverbially happy country
that has no history. The close of the decade of the fifties had
witnessed commercial depression, stagnation in trade and manu-
factures, starvation and misery. The first half of the decade
of the sixties brought commercial vigor, activity in trade and
manufactures, abundance and prosperity.
It was the story of Pharaoh's kine reversed. The American
112 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
war caused the country to be overrun with commissariat agents,
purchasing stores for the army. American gold poured in in
steady streams, and produce of all kinds could not be supplied
to meet the demand.
Farmers and merchants reaped a golden harvest, and many
a fortune was accumulated by trader and speculator. Toronto
had its share in the general prosperity, and the condition of the
city was one hitherto unexampled.
During this period the speculation in gold reached its climax.
Fortunes were made arid lost in exchanges between New York
and Toronto. Goods bought in American currency and paid
for in gold at a high premium, corresponding with the depre-
ciation in American currency, gave the importers of American
goods room to realize immense profits.
, As an illustration of the difference in the values of the cur-
rency at one time, the writer and the late Mr. A. - W. Lauder?
M.PP., when starting to New York to meet our families, who
had been visiting in England, took $40 each to a broker on
» King Street, for which we received $100 iu American currency,
and as the price of everything on the American side had re-
mained unchanged — their argument being that a dollar was still
a dollar, which they soon found to be rather a delusion — the
fare to New York, which from the Suspension Bridge was $10,
was to us only $4, while a charge of $4 a day at the St.
Nicholas* Hotel, New York, was to us just $1.60. Travellers to
Canada soon found out the real value of their currency, com-
pared with ours, when coming off the boats to make their
purchases.
One gentleman, on purchasing an article on King Street, the
price of which was 25 cents, and getting 15 cents change out of
his dollar bill, was so chagrined that he vowed he never again
would put his foot on Canadian soil.
The return to specie payments was much more rapid than
any one had anticipated.
Mr. J. G. Bowes, who had filled the civic chair in 1848-49-
50, and had been described as the ablest man who ever filled
the office of Chief Magistrate up to that time, was again honored
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 113
with the confidence of his fellow-citizens by being elected
in the years 1861-62-63.
Mr. Bowes spared neither time nor expense in keeping up the-
dignity of his office and attending to his duties ; his hospitality
and benevolence extending far beyond the emoluments attached
to the office. The respect in which he was held was most marked
whenever he made his appearance, and the almost universal
recognition accorded him was proof of his great popularity.
On public occasions Mr. Bowes always appeared in official
costume, which, although not ornamented with the gold chain,
as the Lord Mayors in England, was most appropriate and
becoming.
Dr. Russell, of the London Times, writes : " The city is so
very surprising in the extent of its public edifices that I was
fain to write to an American friend in New York to come up
and admire what had been done in architecture under a monar-
chy, if he wished to appreciate the horrible state of that branch
of the fine arts under his democracy. Churches, cathedrals,
markets, post office,- colleges, schools, mechanics' institute, rise
in imperial dignity in the city. The shops are large and well
furnished with goods.
" In the winter time the streets are filled with sleighs, and
the air is gay with the carolling of their bells. Some of the
sleighs are exceedingly elegant in form and finish, and are
provided with very expensive furs, not only for the use of the
occupants, but for display. • The horses are small, spirited
animals, of no great pretension to beauty.
" The people in the street are well dressed, comfortable look-
ing, well-to-do ; not so tall as the people in New York, but
stouter and more sturdy looking. Their winter brings no dis-
comfort, as fuel is abundant, and when the wind is not blowing
high the weather is very agreeable."
Anthony Trollope says : " Toronto, as a city, is not generally
attractive to a traveller. The country around it is flat; although
it stands on a lake, that lake has no attributes of beauty. The
streets of Toronto are paved with wood, or rather planked, as
are those of Montreal or Quebec, but they are kept in better
114 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
order. I should say that the planks are first used in Toronto,
and then sent down by the lake to Montreal, and when all but
rotted out, they are again floated off by the St. Lawrence, to be
used in the thoroughfares of the old capital."
This is somewhat hard upon Quebec, but is highly flattering
to Toronto. But there is no rose without its accompanying
thorn. At this time another writer informs us " that if the
streets of Toronto are better than those of other towns, the
roads around it are worse.
" I had the honor," Jie writes, " of meeting two distinguished
members of Parliament at dinner some few miles out of town/
and returning back a short time after they had left the host's
house, was glad to be of use in picking them up from a ditch
into which their carriage had been upset."
The Fenian Raid.
In March, 1866, the Fenians had formed an elaborate military
plan for the capture of Canada, including the seizure of the
Grand Trunk Railway by Sweeny, with 30,000 men. A mass-
meeting, attended by 100,000 persons, was held at Jones's
Wood, New York, and drilling went on openly all over the
Northern States.
The most vigorous efforts were made to repel any invasion.
Bodies of volunteers were despatched to the principal points*
along the frontier.
Bishop Lynch issued a circular denouncing Fenianism, and
calling upon the people to repel the threatened invasion. A
meeting of the St. Patrick's Society was held and Fenianism
denounced. A Defence Committee was formed for the protection
of the city, and liberal subscriptions were given amid great
enthusiasm, the late Mr. William Cawthra heading the list
with $1,000.
At this time the Canadian forces consisted of 10,000 regular
troops ; 11,000 volunteers on frontier service ; 15,000 volunteers
ready for immediate service, and 80,000 militia balloted for
and ready to be called out.
TORONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 115
The excitement subsequently subsided for a time, till, on the
night of the 29th of May, the demented creatures made a dash
across the Niagara River from Buffalo, under Colonel O'Neill,
and captured Fort Erie. The number was variously estimated
at from 500 to 2,000.
When the news reached Toronto the greatest excitement pre-
vailed, as it was supposed by getting a foothold large reinforce-
ments would soon follow, and that they would probably reach
Toronto before their progress could be checked. The moment
the news was received by the Government, troops, both regu-
lar and militia, were despatched as rapidly as possible from
Toronto.
Two columns of troops were directed by different routes to
Fort Erie ; one — consisting principally of regulars, with a battery
of field artillery, amounting to about 1,500 men, under the
command of Colonel Peacock, 16th Regiment — proceeded by
way of Niagara Falls and Chippewa; the other — composed
altogether of militia, about 500 in number, under the command
of Colonel Dennis — went by the Welland Rail way through Port
Colborne.
The Fenians remained in possession of Fort Erie till the
morning of the 2nd of June, when they advanced towards Port
Colborne. Colonel Booker, on whom the . command of the
militia devolved, found them strongly posted at Ridgeway.
He immediately attacked them, at first with success, but find-
ing himself opposed to superior numbers and his ammunition
failing, he returned towards Port Colborne, with a loss of six
killed and forty wounded ; the enemy suffering about equally.
Colonel Peacock did not reach Fort Erie till after night, when
the Fenians re-embarked, leaving a few of their wounded and
a few stragglers, in all about sixty men, in the hands of the
Canadians.
The brunt of the battle fell upon the Queen's Own Rifles,
five of whom were killed. They were so placed as to be with-
out support, and behaved with the utmost gallantry. The
bodies were removed to Toronto, and were displayed in the
drill shed for several hours on a platform draped with black.
116 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The coffin of Ensign McEachran occupied the middle and front
position, covered with the Union Jack; that of Corporal
Defries was placed on the right, and that of Private Anderson
on the left. The coffins of Privates Alderson and Tempest were
placed behind and above, covered with flags. The procession
from the drill shed to St. James' Cemetery was led by the band
of the 47th Regiment. The Mayor and Corporation, with an
immense concourse of citizens, accompanied the funeral. The
burial service was read by the Rev. H. J. Grasett. Several
other members of the Queen's Own died from the effects of
wounds and exposure, amongst whom were Mewburn, Mathe-
son, Leckie and McKenzie.
A handsome monument in the Queen's Park commemorates
their bravery.
To prevent further attempts nine steamers on the lakes were
temporarily turned into gunboats, and 20,000 troops stationed
at different points along the frontier.
Colonel O'Neill, and other ringleaders, including a Protestant
and Roman Catholic chaplain, were tried, and the writer was
present when the Colonel was sentenced to be hung. The
sentence was not carried out, however, having been commuted
to imprisonment in the penitentiary ; and s"o ended the great
invasion.
Close of the Second Decade.
This decennial period was not marked by any extraordinary
progress, being more a time of recuperation of resources than
of actual advancement.
The importations at the end of 1866 were a little less than
they had been ten years previously, amounting to $6,340,679 ;
the city "expenditure was $322,892, compared with $299,848 in
1856 ; retrenchment and economy had been judiciously exer-
cised and the future made all the brighter in consequence.
The opening of the Street Railway by Mr. Easton in 1861,
from Yorkville to the St. Lawrence Market, was hailed with
great delight, and a good deal of excitement took place when
TOKONTO FROM 1857 TO 1867. 117'
the first car arrived at the corner of King and Yonge Streets.
The undertaking, not proving profitable, was afterwards handed
over to Mr. J. G. Bowes, who was the owner up to the time of
his death.
One or two locomotive engines had been built by Mr. James
Good at his works on Queen Street, from whence they were
taken down Yonge Street to the Northern Railway track with
quite a display of pride on the part of the citizens generally.
Between 1860 and 1869 Toronto was visited by three Princes,
besides H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. After him came Prince
Alfred, as midshipman in the Royal Navy ; leaving his ship at
Halifax, he paid Toronto an informal visit, and was received
with every demonstration suitable to the occasion. As Duke
of Edinburgh he has since sailed round the world.
Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, arrived in Toronto in
1869, and won all hearts by his princely demeanor. Of more
commanding presence than either of his brothers, his appear-
ance created great enthusiasm. The Prince planted a tree in
the Horticultural Gardens as a memento of his visit. The
Grand Duke Alexis, of Russia, also paid Toronto a visit and
was well received.
The increase of manufactures since 1856 was not very re-
markable, and consisted of chemicals, brushes, confectionery,
engines and boilers, pumps, scales, vinegar, trunks and saddlery,
stained glass, carriages, refrigerators, and brass work, all of
which gave employment to numbers of operatives, and con-
tributed to the growth and prosperity of the city. •
Notwithstanding the financial crisis and consequent depres-
sion experienced in Toronto during this period, improvements
went on. Churches, banks, several benevolent institutions and
private residences sprang into existence. The city continued
to extend in every direction, and the population continued to
increase. The Esplanade had been built, forming a continuous
street, which proved a great convenience in reaching the wharves,
to which access previously could only be had by coming up
from one wharf to Front Street and down to another, and the
receiving and shipping of goods were greatly facilitated.
118
TORONTO "CALLED BACK.'
On the 17th March, 1866, the reciprocity treaty terminated
in consequence of notice given by the United States.
On 8th June the first meeting of Parliament took place in
the new building at Ottawa, and final resolutions as to Con-
federation passed.
lift.
i>AKLlAMENT BUILDINGS, OTTAWA.
TORONTO FROM 186T TO 18T7.
Confederation.
When the clock struck midnight on the 30th of June, 1867,
the joy bells of St. James' Cathedral rang out ; it was the 1st
of July, the birthday of the new Dominion. Confederation
was accomplished, and Toronto was once more a capital. The
capital only of a Province, it is true, but that Province the
wealthiest, the most enterprising, and the most populous in the
Union. The day was observed by the greatest rejoicings in
the city. What with bonfires, fireworks and illuminations,
excursions, military displays, and musical and other enter-
tainments, the citizens and the thousands of strangers who
crowded the streets did not want for amusement. Since the
visit of the Prince of Wales no such day had been witnessed
in Toronto.
To celebrate the event a banquet was given in the Music
Hall, over the present Public Library room, at which the Hon.
John A. Macdonald and Hon. George Brown were the principal
guests, as having united for the accomplishment of this grand
and crowning work. Their mutual interchange of compliments
on the occasion, when each spoke of the other as respec-
tively the greatest statesman and patriot Canada had ever
produced, was a striking feature on this memorable and fes-
tive occasion.
Lord Monck was the first Governor-General of the Dominion,
Sir John A. Macdonald being Premier.
120 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Paris Universal Exposition, 1867.
From December, 1866, to January, 1868, the writer crossed
the Atlantic six times, keeping up a constant correspondence
with Toronto, as far as circumstances would permit, a large
portion of the time being spent on the water.
While Toronto was recovering from the reaction caused by
the cessation of the American War, with the consequent loss of
demand for Canadian products, and the alarm of further Fenian
invasions was subsiding, important events were transpiring in
Europe, some of which are memorable as matters of history.
The most remarkable trial of modern times, that of the Tich-
borne claimant, was going on in Westminster Hall, London.
London and Paris were visited by the Sultan of Turkey and
the Viceroy of Egypt.
The splendid Exhibition in Paris was the great centre of
attraction for visitors from all parts of the world, amongst
whom were numbers from Canada, and many from Toronto,
some of whom the writer met and spent the Sunday with in
visiting the churches, and also the celebrated cemetery of Pere
la Chaise, where repose the ashes of kings, queens, emperors,
statesmen, poets, philosophers, musicians, painters and all ranks
of Parisians down to the humble workman, and here crowds of
people visit on Sundays to decorate the tombs.
The following Thursday, the llth of July, may be regarded
as the turning point in the history of Napoleon III. He
had seen Paris arise under his direction as with a magician's
wand, to a point of unparalleled splendor. Mile after mile of
magnificent boulevards had sprung into existence. The Exhi-
bition had eclipsed all those which preceded. Paris had been
visited by Kings and Emperors, and on the day named a grand
military review of the troops took place in the presence of
Abdul Aziz, then Sultan of Turkey, Ismael Pasha, G.C.B.,
Viceroy of Egypt, being there the same week.
This was the last peaceful military display ever witnessed by
the Emperor. Not very long after the Franco-Prussian Wai-
broke out, terminating in the surrender at Sedan.
TORONTO FROM 1867 TO 1877. 121
Tariffs of England, United States and Canada from
1869 to 1876.
Having retired from the direct importing trade in 1869,
the writer accepted the agency of the firm of Potters & Martin
(Limited), of Manchester, England, for the United States and
Canada. This firm had been established nearly a century be-
fore, the head at one time being Sir John Potter, under the
style of Potters & Norris, and subsequently of Potters & Tay-
lor ; the present Mr. Thomas Bailey Potter, M.P., continuing
the business till the introduction of Mr. Martin as partner,
well known as the friend of Mr. Cobden and Mr. John Bright,
and is still the chairman of the Cobden Club, and a representa-
tive free trader.
Having been a buyer of American goods for many years, I
had a good knowledge of the leading lines of their domestic
manufactures, which up to a comparatively recent period had
been limited in both number and extent ; and having engaged
three travellers to look after the Canadian business, I under-
took to do all the United States' trade myself, and with this
view got up an immense line of samples weighing some five
hundred pounds, and comprising a full assortment of British
dry goods, besides everything in French and German goods
for which an order was likely to be obtained. During six
years of this business I had the best opportunity of seeing the
operation of the tariffs of the three countries. Every invoice
passed through my hands, and all the correspondence, extend-
ing from Halifax to Winnipeg, and Baltimore to St. Louis, was
carried on by myself directly, while the ground gone over
twice a year was about five thousand miles each journey.
The amount of business done in the States may be judged
from the sales of the year 1875, representing in American
money about $300,000. That amount was done from a very
few lines of the samples carried, and if a fair proportion of the
goods previously imported from England had been ordered the
amount could have reached the millions. But the rapid growth
122 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
of their manufactures from season to season, under the high
tariff, gradually excluded line after line, and instead of having
six hundred pounds of samples, one hundred pounds would be
amply sufficient to represent all the goods there was any chance
of selling, and by the end of 1876 the United States were
independent of the world for all necessary goods ; those
which might be called luxuries only being required for their
wants.
The firm which I represented did not seem to appreciate the
real position of affairs, and in the face of these facts would
supply me with lists of members of the Cobden Free Trade
Club, amongst whom were a few American names, including
that of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher.
To circulate literature of that kind amongst my clients would
have been as ineffectual as the efforts of Free Traders in 1885,
described by the Philadelphia Free Press, which says : — " The
Free Traders are preparing to smash the tariff again. The per-
formance will resemble the efforts of an over-ripe tomato to
smash a stone fence."
In taking orders, it was necessary to take the American
tariff constantly as a vade mecum. This required constant
study, with its endless distinctions in specific and ad valorem
.rates, and both combined. It was evident that no branch of
industry had been overlooked, and that every manufacturer,
small and large, had been at Washington and had a clause in-
serted for his own benefit, and so the manufactures spread and
grew with amazing rapidity. The average rate on our goods
was about 60 per cent, ad valorem, and this was always pay-
able in gold, the premium on which, during this period, aver-
aged nearly 20 per cent. To illustrate the actual cost of foreign
goods to the importer, it may be stated, that at the highest rate
of duty paid this year (1892) in Canada, goods can be laid down
at about 65 per cent, advance on the sterling cost, or 3 J cents to
the penny.
The simplest way the leading importers in the States used to
arrive at the probable cost of goods, in giving their orders, was
the latter calculation of so many cents to the penny. As
• IN
TORONTO FROM 1867 TO 1&77. 125
nothing in dry goods paid less than 25 per cent, ad valorem, no
goods could be laid down for less than 4 cents, while most cost
4J to 5 cents. The effect of this high rate of duty was to bring
some British manufacturers to establish their works in the
States.
Messrs. Coats and Clark, the great thread manufacturers,
finding the difference in duty between thread in hanks and on
spools to be so great (on the latter the duty, being specific,
reached to an average of 72 per cent, ad valorem), opened large
establishments in New Jersey, where now their thread is all
spooled, giving employment to hundreds of operatives, and by
so much depriving Paisley of the payment of these people's
wages, and all the corresponding advantages. All this time
American goods were being shipped to England free of duty,
and the climax was reached when, on my last trip, I was asked
to take samples of American cottons, these being largely sold
close by the warehouse in Manchester, and offer them for sale
in Canada (!) while not a yard of similar goods made in England
was sold in the whole of the United States. This proposal I
at once begged to decline ; it would have been too humiliating.
The goods referred to, admitted free into England, were
liable at the time in the States to. a duty of five cents a
square yard, and ten per cent, ad valorem. This did not
appear to me to be in any sense " fair trade," the opinions of
the great Manchester manufacturers to the contrary notwith-
standing. About the same time the firm of Randall, Farr & Co ,
of Hespeler, Ontario, who were extensively engaged in the
manufacture of Alpaca cloths, not being able to compete with
British goods, removed their whole machinery to Massachusetts,
and never returned.
Metropolitan Church.
During the residence of Rev. Dr. Punshon in Toronto, the
congregation worshipping in the old Adelaide Street Church,
corner of Toronto Street, feeling the necessity of increased
accommodation, as well as of having a building of more modern
126 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
style, in looking around for a site, fixed their attention on McGill
Square, then about to be sold. The late Rev. Dr. Taylor and
Dr. Punshon, with other members and trustees, soon secured
the property, relying to a great extent on the services and
influence of Dr. Punshon to raise funds for the erection of a
church in the centre of the square.
The corner stone was laid in 1870, and soon the present
magnificent structure appeared in its grand and beautiful
proportions.
The building has so often been described, and is so familiar
to both citizens and visitors, that any present description is
quite unnecessary ; besides, any attempt to describe the churches
of Toronto, would involve a larger amount of space, from the
vast number that have sprung up of late years, than these pages
could afford.
The Metropolitan Church with its beautiful grounds, so splen-
didly ornamented with trees and flowering shrubs, as well as
flower beds, belongs not only to the Methodist body, but to the
whole city of Toronto, forming, as it does, an open square,
which is at once a boon and ornament to Toronto, and remains
a lasting monument to the memory of Dr. Punshon, and also
to Drs. Taylor, Ryerson and Green, as well as laymen who
contributed liberally towards its erection.
While some churches in Methodism are more elegant and
vastly more expensive, there is not one in the world — take it
altogether, internally and externally, the grounds included —
which, in all its appointments, is so complete as the Metro-
politan Church of Toronto. Messrs. Langley & Burke were the
architects.
A beautiful stained glass window, in memory of Mrs. Punshon,
who died at their residence on Bond Street, was placed by Dr.
Punshon in the south-west gallery.
In 1870 and 1871
Toronto had become a very important commercial centre. The
principal streets wore an aspect of staid, unpretentious pros-
TORONTO FROM 1867 TO 1877. 127
perity. They had begun to spread out indefinitely ; the area of
the population had been widely and rapidly extended. From
the Provincial Lunatic Asylum on the west, to far eastward
beyond the Don, stretched mile upon mile of densely popu-
lated thoroughfares. To the northward, Bloor Street had long
since ceased to be anything more than a nominal boundary
between Toronto and Yorkville. The Esplanade on the City
front had become a hive of railway and general industry.
Jarvis Street had been beautified with elegant and stately resi-
dences. King and Yonge Streets continued to monopolize the
lion's share of the retail business ; but Front and Wellington
had developed into the centre of the wholesale trade, and many
large and wealthy establishments had headquarters there.
A writer in the Canadian Illustrated News (Montreal), at
this time indulges in some rather severe strictures on the aspect
of our streets, which ,he describes to be, generally speaking,
either dirty or narrow, with the light of heaven almost shut
out ; or broad, wretchedly paved, certainly with a number of
sufficiently handsome houses, but at the same time with an
undue preponderance of common, and generally having the
appearance of being laid out on the sand-flat. He admits, how-
ever, that Toronto possesses two principal streets, sufficiently
broad, well lit, and well paved, and lined with handsome shops.
Some of this gentleman's comments on the social aspect of the
streets are suggestive and entertaining.
"Between the two principal streets of the Western Capital is
a great gulf, made by the inflexible laws of society and fashion
— a gulf as great as separates the Bowery from Broadway, the
Rue de Rivoli from Rue Mont Parnasse, or Regent Street and
Rotten Row from the humble thoroughfares of Pentonville and
the City Road.
" The buildings on King Street are greater and grander than
their neighbors on Yonge ; the shops are larger and dearer ;
and last, but not least, King Street is honored by the daily
presence of the aristocracy, while Yonge is given over to the
business of the middle-class and the beggar. Amid the upper
classes there is a performance that goes on daily, that is known
128 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
among habitues as 'doing King.' It consists principally of
inarching up and down a certain part of that street at a certain
hour, performing, as it were, ' Kotow ' to the goddess of fashion,
and sacrificing to her sister divinity of fashion.
" At three o'clock in the afternoon the first stragglers appear
on the scene, which extends perhaps a quarter of a mile. These
consist principally of young ladies, whose proper place should
be at school, and young men attired in the height of fashion.
By the time these ardent devotees have paraded a few times,
the regular habitues make their appearance, and till six o'clock
in the evening one side — for one side only is patronized — is
crowded to excess.
" It is rather considered ' the thing ' to patrol King Street in
this manner ; and of a fine evening every one who belongs to
the elite, as well as many who do not, may be seen persever-
ingly trudging up and down, no doubt to their great comfort,
and to the intense discomfort and dismay of others less smiled
upon by nature or less favored by their tailors or their dress-
makers. King Street is, in a way, a great social ' Change/
where everybody meets everybody and his wife ; where the
latest fashions are exhibited, and the last quotations of the
matrimonial market are exchanged.
" Would you see the newest style in hats or panniers ? They
are to be seen on King Street. And would you know how many
young swells are doing nothing for a living ? You are sure to
find them on King Street. Would you wish to hear the last
imprudence of young Harum Scarum, or the progress of Miss
Slowcome's engagement ? You may be sure before you take
half-a-dozen turns some conversant, intelligent busy-body of
your acquaintance will have whispered the facts of the case in
your ear, all of which he has 'on the best authority, sir.' It is
on King Street that Clelius makes his appointment with Clelia
for their afternoon walk; that Thersites, jealousy stricken,
scowls at Adonis ; and that Pomponia depreciates the value of
her dear friend Amaltheus' new silk and trimmings. There
Cornelia, the careful mother, brings out her treasures and
exhibits to the public gaze those desirable lots of which she is
TORONTO FROM 1867 TO 1877. 129
so anxious to dispose on advantageous terms. While far above
all, Diogenes, in his garret, little more roomy or commodious
than the ancient 'tub,' looks down upon the motley throng,
notices their petty follies and foibles, and thanks his lucky
stars that he is not as other men."
In 1871 the population was 56,000, an increase in ten years
of 11,000. During the next three years, Toronto, in common
with the Province, enjoyed an unexampled epoch of prosperity.
A remarkable impetus was given to all the usual branches of
trade ; and the commerce, both wholesale and retail, assumed
such proportions as not even the most sanguine had hoped for.
More than 13,000 were added to the population, and both public
and private enterprise kept pace with this rapid increase. The
streets were full of bustle and activity.
Mercantile palaces were built by some of the leading houses,
and many of the finest mansions and most beautiful churches
in the city were erected.
The progress made since Confederation had been amazing.
Not only had its area and population largely increased, but it
had been greatly bea.utified by the erection of huge business
establishments, and palatial private residences; and it had
developed a commercial enterprise and energy which seriously
endangered the pretensions of Montreal to the mercantile
supremacy of the Dominion.
It was during 1872-74 that Toronto began to make the rapid
strides in commercial enterprise that placed her in the proud
position she now occupies. They were years of unusual pros-
perity, and trade of all kinds received a remarkable impetus.
Happily the foundations then laid of the city's mercantile
greatness was sufficiently solid to resist the shock of the
reaction that followed.
In July, 1873, a delightful passage was made to England in
the Allan steamer Polynesian from Quebec. After passing
through the Straits of Belle Isle large icebergs were seen, while
the weather was that of summer. Amongst the passengers
were Dr. and Mrs. W. T. Aikins, of Toronto, and the family of
Mr. and Mrs. Gammon, of Chicago, visiting Europe for the first
130 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
time. The fine weather gave an opportunity for games of
various kinds on deck, those of shuffle-board and quoits being
the favorites. A very pleasant time was spent in London in
sight-seeing.
Return of Rev. Dr. Punshon to England.
During my stay in Manchester, in 1873, the late Rev. Dr.
Punshon — who, had he lived, would have done as much to
recommend Canada, and Toronto in particular, to the attention
of the English people as any other man, having frequently stated
he was bound to the country by the dead and the living — re-
turned to England. In company with Dr. Gervase Smith and
other friends, we met him at the railway station on his arrival
from Liverpool.
The Wesleyan Conference being then in session in the Free
Trade Hall, the Doctor was expected to attend one of the even-
ing meetings. The Conference, numbering about six hundred
ministers, occupied the great platform, while the audience was
fully six thousand in number.
Dr. James occupied the presidential chair, and all were on
the qui-vive for the appearance of Dr. Punshon, who was known
to have arrived. Soon he entered quietly 'at the back of the
platform and took a seat, but was instantly recognized, when
the immense audience stood up, and between clapping of hands
and waving of handkerchiefs, round after round, the scene
baffles description. For the time all the Doctor could do was
to stand with head bent down and eyes streaming with tears,
until an opportunity was given afterwards for giving expres-
sion to his feelings in words. It was a scene never to be for-
gotten.
In 1874 a voyage from England was made in company with
several Toronto gentlemen, including the late Rev. Dr. Jennings.
One of the passengers was the now celebrated Mr. Joseph Arch,
M.P., who, it is reported, took the oath in the House of Com-
mons dressed in a suit of corduroy, and appeared at a banquet
TORONTO FROM 1867 TO 1877. 131
given in his honor, amongst a number of noblemen and gentle-
men, dressed in a tweed suit.
Mr. Arch was accompanied by a secretary, and represented
the Laborers' Trade Union of England ; himself a working-man.
Their object was to get information as to the desirability of
emigration on a large scale. After travelling extensively
through Canada and the United States they returned to
England, but no practical results followed.
On the passage many lively discussions on politics took place,
in which Mr. Arch showed himself to be a man of good common
sense and of moderate views, with a decided tendency to the
democratic side. He is a Methodist local preacher.
St. James' Cathedral Clock.
Nearly twenty years ago the citizens of every denomination
united to purchase the world's prize timekeeper from Benson &
Sons, of London, and succeeded in placing it in the tower on
Christmas Eve, 1875.
This clock possesses a threefold movement, viz., keeping time,
chiming, and striking the hours and quarter-hours. The com-
bined weights to keep it going are over three thousand pounds ;
the pendulum is over sixteen feet in length, the end weight
being two hundred and fifty pounds. The quarter-hour chimes
are a copy of the famous Cambridge chimes in England, com-
posed by Handel one hundred years ago, and may become in
time, to citizens of Toronto, what Bow Bells are to inhabitants
of London.
The year 1875 had been marked by a very perceptible
reaction in the commercial world of Toronto.
The year 1876 came in gloomily, and with murmurs against
the trade policy, and yet improvements went steadily on. New
streets were being opened up in all directions, and the popula-
tion went on increasing.
At the close of 1876 the imports to Toronto had reached
$11,231,543; the value of taxable property was $47,150,362,
and the population had grown to 71,693. It will be seen from
132
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the above that the value of the imports had nearly doubled in
ten years ; the greatest increase having taken place, between
1871-72. After a period of prosperity a time of depression set
in that continued till 1878, when the city began slowly to
recover from the effects of evil times.
Several new and additional manufactures had been intro-
duced, amongst which were fine jewellery, steam gauges, engines
and general machinery, watch cases, elevators, rubber stamps,
cork cutting and varnishes.
The highest p >int the duty had reached up to this time was
twenty per cent, ad valorem, except on one or two articles
on which, by way of incidental protection, twenty-five per
cent, was charged. These goods were principally ready-made
clothing.
During the second decade British Columbia and Prince
Edward Island were admitted into the Confederation; also the
North- West Territories and the Province of Manitoba.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, TORONTO.
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 188T.
Protection versus a Revenue Tariff.
The question of Protection versus a Revenue Tariff, inaugu-
rated in 1879, brought in the Tilley Tariff and National Policy.
Previous to 1858 the manufacturing industries of Toronto
were few and small. At this time, in the Parliament of United
Canada, then sitting in Toronto, a protective tariff was intro-
duced by Inspector-General Cayley, the rate being twenty per
cent., and, as previously stated, on some goods twenty-five per
cent. The improvement was soon perceptible in the immediate
impetus given to manufactures, which continued till 1866,
when Inspector-General Gait cut down the tariff to fifteen per
cent., producing a disastrous change. Manufacturers who had
invested large capital in machinery, at once losing confidence,
became discouraged, and commenced to withdraw their capital
from what appeared to be a policy of fluctuation and uncer-
tainty,— a state of things which continued till 1879.
It will be seen by comparison with the Tariff of the United
States that in general the principles are the same, specific
duties being added on some articles. Although the rates of
duty in Canada are much lower, there is evidence of a similar
arrangement for the protection of home manufactures, espe-
cially those in actual operation throughout Canada.
Exhibition Buildings.
These magnificent buildings were opened by His Excellency
the Earl of Dufferin, in September, 1878. The palace is built
with solid brick foundations, with sides and roof of glass, and
136 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
affords admirable accommodation for the display of goods. The
cost of the buildings was $250,000.
Through the suggestion of Mr. J. J. Withrow, the indefatig-
able President of the Industrial Exhibition Association, the
whole of the material of the original Crystal Palace was utilised
in the erection of the present building, thereby effecting a great
saving, and accounting for the similarity in appearance of the
two buildings. The design was copied by Mr. Sandford Fleming
from that of Sir Joseph Paxton for the London Crystal Palace,
in 1851.
The grounds, sixty acres in extent, are the finest in the
Dominion. They are most beautifully situated on the shore of
Lake Ontario, and from the balconies of the Main Building a
splendid view of Toronto and the surrounding country and lake
can be obtained.
The other buildings comprise horticultiiral and machinery
halls, apiary, dairy, and horse and cattle pens, to which large
additions have lately been made. The buildings and grounds
are kept in the most perfect order.
Current Events.
The Grand Opera House was destroyed by fire in November,
1879.
On the 25th of March, 1880, the Hon. George Brown was
shot in the thigh and succumbed to the effects the following
May. The funeral was attended by an immense concourse of
people, and business was almost entirely suspended while the
procession was passing. Bennett, the murderer, was tried and
executed for the crime.
In June, the Hon. John Beverley Robinson was appointed
Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
During this year Prince Leopold visited Toronto, accompanied
by the Marquis of Lome and the Princess Louise on their third
visit. The Princess and Prince Leopold left for England by the
steamer Polynesian, on the 31st of July.
On the 6th of August a fight occurred between Roman
TORONTO FKOM 1877 TO 18»7. 137
Catholics and Orangemen, and one policeman was fatally
wounded.
Dr. W. H. Russell writes : " Toronto, seen under the most
disadvantageous circumstances " (it was pouring rain when
his party arrived), " was voted to be very surprising, and my
friends were not prepared for such fine buildings and such a
great array of wharves and quays on the bay, and the great
fleet of craft alongside them. Toronto has increased in all the
elements of wealth and consequence by bounds, and since 1861,
when I was there, the population has doubled and is still in-
creasing very rapidly."
The Doctor pronounces the University to be worthy of a
great nation, a noble Norman pile, beautifully situated.
The Marquis of Lome and H.R.H. the Princess Louise.
The appointment of the Marquis of Lome to succeed the
Earl of DufFerin as Governor-General of Canada gave great
satisfaction.
The Vice-regal party sailed from Liverpool on the 14th of
November, 1878, in the Allan steamship Sarmatian, and arrived
in Halifax on the 28 rd, having had a very rough passage.
They were met by the Duke of Edinburgh, who, with a naval
squadron, had come to meet his royal sister. Leaving for
Montreal the following Wednesday, and stopping at various
places on the way, they arrived in Ottawa in a few days.
The Governor-General held his first New Year's Day reception
at Rideau Hall on the 1st of January, 1879.
Their first visit to Toronto was on the 20th of January, on
their way to the Falls, and was quite informal ; their object
being to get a winter view of Niagara.
The lamented death of the beloved Princess Alice had
occurred on the 14th of December. Under the circumstances it
was considered best to defer the Vice-regal visit till after the
harvest of 1879, and the Governor-General having consented to
open the Exhibition, the date of their visit was fixed for that
time.
10
138 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
When Toronto had been visited by three princes it was
scarcely expected she would so soon afterwards be honored by
a visit from one of Her Majesty's daughters, and when the
announcement of the appointment of the Marquis of Lome as
Governor-General was made, it was received with intense plea-
sure.
The Earl of Dufferin, in his speeches on the occasion, in truly
eloquent and beautiful language described the character of the
Princess Louise, and congratulated the country on this distin-
guished mark of the Queen's love and affection for Canada, in
consigning her favorite daughter to her care ; at the same time
portraying the character of Her Royal Highness, from actual
knowledge, in colors which he well knew how to use. As an
artist, musician, and scholar, she excelled in every accomplish-
ment, and her benevolent and kind disposition was truly and
beautifully described.
Her visits to Toronto fully confirmed the description given
by His Lordship, and Toronto fully sustained her reputation
for loyalty by giving the Vice-regal pair a right hearty recep-
tion. The party arrived in Toronto on September the 4th, and
were received with a guard of honor, and by all the civic and
military dignities.
The Exhibition was opened on September the 6th by the
Marquis and Princess Louise, amidst great enthusiasm. There
was a general illumination at night. They left for London on
the following morning. Returning on the 18th, Her Royal
Highness laid the foundation stone of the Home for Incurables,
and the Governor-General presided at the opening ceremony of
the Credit Valley Railway.
During this and subsequent visits all the public institutions
were inspected, especial attention being given by Her Royal
Highness to those of a charitable and benevolent character, in-
cluding the General Hospital.
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 1887.
Farewell Visit of the Vice-regal Party.
Having on several occasions expressed the pleasure with
which they visited Toronto, the Marquis of Lome and Her
Royal Highness the Princess Louise, before leaving Canada,
paid a farewell visit to the city.
On the 12th of September the Vice-regal party arrived at the
Union Station, and were received with a guard of honor of one
hundred men of the Royal Grenadiers, accompanied by their
band. A large number of civic and military dignitaries were
present to welcome the distinguished party.
Additional interest was manifested from the fact that another
member of the Royal family, Prince George of Wales, second
son of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, was with the
Vice-regal party, and for the first time in Toronto. The first
day was spent in visiting the public institutions, including the
Home for Incurables, General Hospital, Infants Home and House
of Providence.
In the evening they attended a concert in the Horticultural
Pavilion, given by J. T. Thompson. The artists were Signori
Brignoli, Poggi, Adamouski, Madame Teresa Carreno, and Miss
Carrie Mason.
The next clay the Exhibition was visited, and preparations
were made to present the Marquis and Princess Louise with a
farewell address. By one o'clock the Queen Street Avenue was
lined with immense crowds of people, while detachments from
the Queen's Own Rifles and Royal ^ Grenadiers took up their
positions around the gates of the enclosure. An archway was
erected on the mound which rises in the centre of the fiower
plot, surmounted with the Royal Arms, hedged in on either side
with flags, and decorated with flowers, and having the words,
" Welcome to Toronto," " Lome and Louise," artistically dis-
played.
The steel helmets of the Body Guards were the signal of the
approach of the Vice-regal party, and amid a down-pour of
rain they entered the enclosure and stood on the dais, in front
142 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
of which about 3,000 people presented an unbroken covering of
umbrellas. As they made their appearance, cheer after cheer
arose from the assembled multitude, the pouring rain being in-
effectual to dampen their enthusiasm. When the cheering for
the Marquis and Princess had subsided, some one called out for
three cheers for Prince George. Not catching the words at first,
as referring to himself, the Princess turned towards him and
pleasantly said, " That's you." The cheers were given heartily,
and Prince George bowed his acknowledgment.
When the ceremoniBS were ended the Princess drove to the
Hospital for Sick Children, and the Marquis to the Exhibition.
They left Government House on the 14th ; Toronto, as usual,
having done herself honor in this display of genuine loyalty.
Arrival of the Marquis of Lansdowne.
The new Governor-General, Marquis of Lansdowne, Lady
Lansdowne and suite, arrived by the Allan steamer Circassian,
at Quebec, on the 23rd of October, and were met by Lord
Lome and the Cabinet. The Marquis of Lansdowne took the
oath of office the same day, after which they proceeded to
Ottawa.
FIRST VISIT TO TORONTO.
On the 9th of January, 1884, His Excellency the Governor-
General, Lady Lansdowne, Lord and Lady Melgund and suite
arrived at the Union Station, where they were met by His
Honor the Lieutenant-Governor and Captain Geddes, A.D.C.
A guard of honor from the Queen's Own Rifles, composed of
one hundred men and the Band, assembled to meet the distin-
guished party, who were immediately driven to Government
House.
The first day was spent in sight-seeing. The route taken
was through the principal streets to the University. In the
evening a large number of the leading citizens were invited to
meet the party at Government House.
The next day they went to the Falls, and crossing the new
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 1887. 143
Suspension Bridge, were landed on American soil for the first
time in their lives. On their return to Toronto on the 12th,
His Excellency proceeded to the City Hall to receive the
Address of the Corporation, to which he replied in the most
felicitous terms. The Vice-regal party visited the Hospital
and other institutions. The Marquis and Lord Melgund visited
the Granite Rink and attended the ball of the Royal Canadian
Yacht Club.
In letters to the London World addressed to eminent persons,
an independent critic said, at the time of his appointment as
Governor-General of Canada, to the Marquis of Lansdowne : —
" There is no Englishman of your age whom I could congra-
tulate with equal warmth and sincerity upon the assumption
of an arduous and anxious post. Everything is in your favor.
You carry with you more than promise, more even than the
first fruits of performance.
"A singularly blameless youth was crowned with the highest
honors at the first Urriversity of the world. The advantages to
which you were born, and which are not possessed to the same
extent or in the same degree by any but the peers of historic
English titles, have been turned by you to admirable account.
You have acquired a valuable insight into the routine of office,
and you have shown, both in the House of Lords and elsewhere,
that you possess that power of speaking which is indispensable
to public men of your race.
" The Canadians will recognize in Lady Lansdowne a guar-
antee that they are about to welcome a Vice-Queen after their
own heart."
The Semi-Oentennial Celebration
took place in Dominion week. The 6th March was celebrated
by the opening of the Free Library by the Lieutenant- Go vernorr
and a reception by the Mayor in the City Hall, this being the
proper day for the commemoration of the birth of the city in
1834 ; but it was deemed advisable to postpone the celebration
till Dominion week.
144 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The celebration commenced on Monday, 30th June. Flags,
bunting, mottoes, and evergreens were used in the decorations,
and the scene, looking down one of the principal streets, was
simply a vista of fluttering colors. The whole week was given
to pleasure, and thousands of sight-seers, from all parts of the
Province and the United States, crowded the city.
Monday, June 30th, was the municipal and historical day,
specially commemorative of the city's municipal organization
and progress. The procession comprised municipal bodies,
police, fire brigade, etc.
Tuesday, July 1st, military day ; grand street parade and
review, comprising visiting and city corps to the extent of over
four thousand men.
Wednesday, July 2nd, trades and industrial day, specially
commemorative of the progress and standing of the commercial
interests of the city. The parade comprised members of the
different labor organizations of the city, each with a tableau,
illustrative of the trade followed ; also representatives with
illustrative tableaux from all the mercantile and manufacturing
establishments of the city. It consisted, in part, 6f wagons, on
which various mechanics were plying their daily vocations.
Thursday, July 3rd, " U. E. Loyalists " day, commemorative
of the settlement of the U. E. Loyalists in Canada, one hundred
years ago. In the afternoon there was a reception at the Gov-
ernment House, and in the evening the Oratorio of Redemption
was given at the Horticultural Gardens, also a grand display of
fireworks in the harbor, and imitation naval combat.
Friday, July 4th, benevolent societies day ; parade compris-
ing uniformed and un-uniformed lodges of Masons, societies
of all kinds, etc.
Saturday, July 5th, commemorative of our educational insti-
tutions. The parade comprised over 8,000 children from the
public and separate schools of the city
TORONTO FROM Is77 TO 1887. 145
Departure of Toronto Troops for the North- West.
When the rebellion, led by Louis Kiel, had assumed such pro-
portions as to demand a call to arms, the Government order to
prepare for immediate departure reached the commanding
officers in Toronto on the 27th of March. During Friday night
and the early hours of Saturday, the 28th, orderly sergeants
were busily engaged in scouring the city informing the men of
the startling news. At an early hour the drill shed presented
an animated appearance, the men having nocked to their answer
to the roll call. Such was the enthusiasm manifested that
great disappointment was felt that only two hundred and fifty
men of each regiment could be sent to the front. As the senti-
ment displayed was one of cheerful alacrity in responding to
the call to arms in the country's defence, there was no holding
back or hesitation, and the number required was soon made up.
On the 30th March tens of thousands gathered at the Union
Station to see the gallant volunteers depart for the scene of
action, and all through their dreary, route their progress was
looked for with the deepest anxiety and most heart-felt sym-
pathy. The march over the ice, and the heroic fortitude dis-
played through inten-e cold and fatigue throughout the entire
journey, as well as the bravery displayed in the different en-
gagements with the enemy, have all become a matter of history.
Thousands of hearts in Toronto throbbed in sympathy with her
"citizen soldiers during those memorable months, and prayers
were constantly offered in all the churches for the success of
our arms and the safe return of our sons,, when victory had
crowned their efforts.
Return of the Toronto Contingent.
WELCOME HOME— JULY, 1885.
War-worn, sun-scorched, stained with the dust of toil.
And battle-scarred, they come victorious.
Exultantly we greet them, cleave the sky
With cheers, and fling our banners to the wind ;
146 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
We raise triumphant songs and strew their path
To do them homage. Welcome Home !
We laid our country's honor in their hands
And sent them forth : undoubting, said farewell,
With hearts too proud, too jealous of their fame,
To own our pain. To-day glad tears may flow ;
To-day they come again and bring the gifts,
Of all earth's gifts most precious— trust redeemed.
We stretch our hands, we lift a joyful cry,
Words of all words the sweetest, " Welcome home ! "
Oh brave, true hearts 1 oh steadfast, loyal hearts !
They come, and lay their trophies at our feet ;
They show us work accomplished, hardships borne,
Courageous deeds, and patience under pain,
The country's name upheld and glorified,
And peace, dear purchased by their blood and toil.
What guerdon have we for such service done ?
Our thanks, our pride, our praises and our prayers,
Our country's smile, and her most just rewards ;
The victor's laurel laid upon the brows,
And all the love that speaks in " Welcome home ; "
Bays for the heroes, for the martyrs palms ;
To those who come not, and though dead yet speak,
A lesson to be guarded in our souls
While the land lives for whose dear sake they died ;
Whose lives, thrice sacred, are the price of peace ;
Whose memory, thrice beloved, thrice revered,
Shall be their country's heritage,
To hold eternal pattern to her living sons.
What dare we bring ? They, dying, have won all ;
A drooping flag, the flowers upon their graves,
Are all the tribute left : already theirs
A nation's safety, gratitude and tears,
Imperishable honor, endless rest.
— Annie Rothwell.
Should some Rip Van Winkle have fallen asleep in 1850,
waiting for the hourly omnibus for Yorkville, at the corner of
King and Yonge Streets, and awakened on the 23rd July, 1885,
he would not have been surprised at the sight of a " Union
Hotel, by Jonathan Doolittle ; " nor would he have mistaken
any other face on a sign-board in place of Her Majesty, Queen
Victoria, as did that mystic individual mistake the sign of
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 1887. 147
George Washington for the ruddy face of good King George.
The evidences all around would soon undeceive him, and he
would quickly discover that Queen Victoria still reigned over a
happy and contented people.
The return of the Queen's Own, Royal Grenadiers and Gover-
nor-General's Body Guards, amidst the spontaneous display of
welcome by the tens of thousands of Toronto's citizens, was a
sight seldom equalled, and one to be remembered by the present
generation, and to be recorded in Canadian history and per-
petuated by the well-earned tokens of the appreciation of Her
Majesty and the English people, by the medals worn on the
breasts of the heroes, these having been struck in the Royal
mint and with the immediate sanction of Royalty.
On this day, amid a blaze of bunting, under triumphal arches
from north to south and east to west, the return of the citizen
soldiers was greeted with an ovation only equalled by that given
to the Guards in London on their return from the Crimean War
covered with blood stains and martial glory.
ARRIVAL AT NORTH TORONTO.
The movement of the Governor-General's Body Guards to-
wards the ground indicated the arrival of the train and the
commencement of the cheering.
The troops disembarked amid the strains of " Johnny comes
Marching Home," and " Home, Sweet Home," by the bands of
the regiments. The cheers were taken up by the spectators
along the streets as the column came into view.
On Yonge Street the sight which met the eye was one which
had never before been presented. Looking southward the view,
was beautiful. Arches, flags, banners, festoons of flowers and
evergreens, with multitudes of spectators in windows and on
housetops, as well as on the crowded thoroughfares, as street
after street was passed, under arch after arch, formed a scene
which could only again be repeated under like circumstances,
and which will in all probability never occur. It was joyful,
enthusiastic and loyal, and will live in the memory of all who
witnessed it while life shall last.
148 TORONTO "CALLED BACK.
Under any circumstances the return of volunteers to their
homes and friends would be a cause of rejoicing ; but when they
come having bravery, victory and peace inscribed on their ban-
ners, their march is a triumphal procession.
Our gallant defenders, under the command of Colonels Miller,
Grasett, Otter and Denison, with General Middleton as Oom-
mander-in-Chief, will have their names and deeds recorded
on the page of history as examples of heroic endurance and
bravery. The distance travelled, hardships endured, battles
fought and won, thorough .discipline without a single act of
insubordination, cool courage, steadiness under fire, and the
crowning result in the capture of the leaders and the entire
suppression of the rebellion — all distinguished this short cam-
paign of less than four months as one of the most remarkable
of ancient or modern times.
Toronto the Centre of the Dominion.
A few years ago a book was written to prove that St. Louis
was geographically the central city of the world, and that
eventually it must become the commercial centre, and very
plausible reasons were given to prove the statement.
The immense resources of the country of which it was the
centre, in iron, coal, gold, silver and cotton, and its growing
manufactures, were used to show its probable destiny.
Toronto puts forward no such claim, and yet, while Winnipeg
may more properly be considered the geographical centre of
the Dominion, a glance at the map will show the splendid
position of Toronto as a commercial centre, and as a resort for
tourists ; and it is safe to say that, in the near future, no city
on the continent will be more celebrated for general attractive-
ness, and that the present hotel accommodation will soon be
altogether inadequate for the crowds who will flock here in the
summer. The contiguity to the Falls, with the fact of a
Free Park on the Canada side, will attract travellers from Hud-
son Bay to the Gulf of Mexico, and from Halifax to Vancouver.
As a central point of arrival and departure, either east,
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 1887. 149
west, north or south, her advantageous position cannot be
exaggerated.
The chain of lakes north and west, the Canadian Pacific
and Grand Trunk Railways, and the navigation through to the
Atlantic Ocean, via the St. Lawrence, all promise a future for
Toronto such as has never been dreamed of before.
Who would have predicted twenty years ago that a traveller
could take a car at the Union Station, or at the foot of Yonge
Street, and by going to North Toronto Station, purchase a
ticket, and perhaps even check his baggage, for China or Japan?
And yet all this can now be accomplished.
The completion of the connection at Callander, making the
route from New York to Winnipeg via Toronto the most direct,
gives her all-rail communication with the great North-West
and the Pacific, equally good in winter as in summer.
Toronto is fast becoming the wholesale centre of the Do-
minion. Once Quebec enjoyed the good luck, but for some
reason or other a blight fell upon the ancient capital, and the
business houses that flourished on St. Peter Street forty years
ago are there no longer. Montreal for years back did the bulk
of the business, but for the past fifteen years Toronto has been
gradually taking it away from her. At the present rate of
progress Toronto will lead Montreal in ten years, perhaps in
five.
Toronto possesses one advantage which alone is sufficient to
account for her success. We have a choice of seaports, and
the competition in freight and charges which such an advan-
tage confers. We can receive our importations either by the
St. Lawrence or by New York, and have the same advantage
with regard to our exports. If Toronto becomes the wholesale
centre many other things must follow. The headquarters of
the Grand Trunk Railway must come here before long.
Many Montreal, Hamilton and London houses are now opening
branches, or removing their whole business to Toronto, and
there are certain indications besides that Toronto is now the
wholesale centre of the Dominion, and is going to march at the
head of the procession.
150 TOROXTO "CALLED BACK."
Toronto Custom House.
In any country or city where the revenue is raised by in-
direct taxation, the history of the Custom House is, to a great
extent, the history of its growth in trade and manufactures.
There was a time in the history of the importing trade of
Toronto when the duty was five per cent, ad valorem, and the
Government of the day, with great liberality, took the im-
porters' note at six months in payment.
No doubt this gave a stimulus to the trade, which has re-
sulted in placing Toronto at the head of all American and
Canadian cities of its population in the extent of its imports.
About the same time that the importations commenced in
this way to Toronto, the non-importing merchants got their
supplies in what is now called " Niagara by the Lake," where
merchants went regularly to make their purchases up to the
time when the seat of Government was changed to Toronto,
in 1821.
Others got their goods in Montreal, and these were brought
up the St. Lawrence and along the shore of Lake Ontario in
batteaux ; while over the portages they did the best they could
in the way of transport.
My first entry at the Custom House was made in the fall
of 1848, being a little over twelve months from the time of
arriving in the country, and being the youngest man who had
made direct importations to the city. My faith in the future of
Toronto was based on two facts : first, the water communica-
tion in front, with a beautiful harbor, and second, the fine agri-
cultural country stretching away in the back ; and in addition
to this there was confidence in the taste and wealth of the
people sufficient to warrant the importation of a fine class of
goods, as shown by the fact that one case alone was valued at
£800 sterling, the contents of which, with all other goods, were
speedily disposed of.
Mr. Stanton was the collector at this time, and the duty was
12 J per cent, ad valorem.
CUSTOM HOUSE, TORONTO.
TORONTO FROM 1877 TO 1887. 153
As the whole importations that year were under a million
dollars in value, the Custom House staff, inside and outside,
did not exceed four or five, not one of whom remains in the
service.
Mr. Stanton was succeeded by Mr. Meudell, and in 1851 the
staff had slightly increased ; Mr. Thomas Scott was surveyor ;
Mr. John Cameron, chief clerk ; and Mr. Robert Emery and
Mr. T. McCarthy, landing waiters.
Shortly after the introduction of the " bonding system "
through the United States, the private bonded warehouses were
authorized as a convenience to importers, who, commencing to
receive goods at all seasons of the year, discontinued the custom
of opening their whole importations at one time ; country mer-
chants visiting the market more frequently, and importers
taking their goods out of bond as orders were given from
samples, or, in the case of dry goods, by opening only a portion
of any class of goods at one time.
The appointment of "lockers" followed this arrangement, and
the first who acted in that capacity were Mr. James Stitt, lately
deceased, Mr. R. G. A. Paton, and Mr. Alex. DufF, superan-
nuated.
The gradual increase in the importations, with the rate of
duty at various periods up to the present time, when they
have reached such a large figure, will be found in another
place.
The Custom House staff in 1854 consisted, in addition to the
gentlemen already named, of Hon. Capt. Curzon and George
Henderson, clerks ; J. P. Dunn, landing waiter, and A. Macpher-
son, who succeeded Mr. John Boyd, father of the present Chan-
cellor, who was the first appraiser.
The present surveyor, Mr. John Douglas, entered the service
in 1855, having occupied the position of chief clerk before his
present position, which he assumed on the death of Mr. Scott.
Mr. Meudell was succeeded by the Hon. Robert Spence, and
after his death Mr. T. C. Scott acted as collector. An effort
was made to have him appointed to the collectorship, but the
petition for the object was never presented, a number of mer-
11
154 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
chants and others, including the Hon. George Brown, refusing
to sign, on the ground that the appointment of collector should
continue to be a political one. Mr. J. E. Smith was appointed
to the office, and on his retirement Mr. John Douglas acted as
collector till the appointment of the Hon. Jas. Patton, Q.C.,
LL.D., and on the death of the Hon. Jas. Patton, Mr. Douglas
again assumed the acting collectorship till the appointment of
John Small, Esq., Ex-M.P., the present collector.
CUSTOM HOUSE STAFF, 1891.
Collector, surveyor, chief-clerk, cashier, assistant cashier,
eighteen clerks, three clerks and landing waiters, three appraisers,
three assistant appraisers, one gauger, one chief locker, one
locker, chief landing waiter, twelve landing waiters, three tide
waiters, two preventive officers, one chief packer, seven packers,
two packers and messengers, one messenger, one packer and
porter, two packers, porters and messengers, one housekeeper,
one assistant messenger.
Supernumeraries : two acting clerks, one landing waiter, one
messenger, one packer.
Through the kindness of the Collectors at the various ports
of the United States, the following figures have been furnished:
COMPARATIVE IMPORTS AND DUTY PAID BY CITIES OF THE
UNITED STATES AND TORONTO, FOR THE YEAR ENDING
30TH JUNE, 1891.
AVERAGE
VALUE. DUTY. ABOUT.
Buffalo $5,252,297 $862,175 10%
Chicago 15,589,633 5,786,675 37%
Cinqinatti 2,171,392 1,001,357 46%
Detroit 3,458,951 617,619 18%
Milwaukee 1,394,148 390,084 30%
Cleveland 942,019 342,768 38%
St. Louis 4,817,358 1,682,228 34%
Toronto .... 19,353,136 4,076,926 21%
Ports bordering on Canada show low average of duty, being
largely free imports and natural produce of Canada, and
small foreign business.
m
TORONTO IN 1886.
FAIR TORONTO ! Queen City of the West,
Of all thy sister cities thou art best ;
As far as eye can reach, from Don to Humber,
Rise towering spires in goodly number ;
Cathedrals, churches, schools, and mansions rise
In stately grandeur towering to the skies. .
A noble harbor fronts thy southern bound,
And gentle hills encircle thee around ;
From north to south, from east to west expand
Streets, avenues and roads, so wisely plann'd,
That strangers visit thee with ease, and find
In thee a home at once just to their mind ;
Long live Toronto ! loud her praises swell,
Here Commerce, Art, and Nature love to dwell.
— Imrie.
It will be no exaggeration to say that no city on the con-
tinent is making greater progress than the City of Toronto.
Within ten years the population has doubled. Not only has this
increase occurred within the limits, but the city has thrown off
shoots east, west and north, which are now rapidly assuming ,
the proportions of towns.
Indeed, one suburb, which a decade ago was a series of farms,
with cottages scattered here and there, has been recently incor-
porated, and its large population, its populous streets, its hand-
some stores and private residences well entitle it to the dignity
of a town, — and this is Parkdale.
The population within the limits now reached 111,000. Ten
years before Toronto extended from the Don to Bathurst Street,
1GO TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
and from the Bay to College Avenue. Spadina Avenue north
of St. Patrick Street was a field, where the troops were
reviewed, and Sherbourne Street above Carlton resembled the
" forest primeval."
It is possible now to walk from half a mile east of the Grand
Trunk crossing on the Kingston Road to within half a mile of
the lake shore, on Queen Street (a distance of about four miles),
through an avenue of shops, and to inspect store windows on
Yonge Street from the Bay to the hill north of the city, which
was formerly regarded as the country.
Nothing illustrates the growing opulence of the city more
than the character of the places of business and the architectural
improvements on the private residences. A shop is not a shop
now unless provided with the metropolitan plate glass front,
and the tendency in every business is in the shape of extension,
— in short, to occupy two or three buildings where formerly
one was sufficient.
Where many cities have one fine street of which they are
justly proud, as Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, and Wabash
Avenue in Chicago, none can boast of so many fine streets or
private residences of finer build or more elegant design.
The old square house which was the palace of a merchant
years ago, has given place to a building of Elizabethan or other
fashionable style, in which the taste for ornamentation is fully
gratified.
Formerly Jarvis Street was the home of the wealthy, and
then Sherbourne laid claims to rivalry ; and while these go on
improving constantly, new competitions for style and elegance
are springing up both on the north and west.
To the person whose business confines him to the centre of
the city, a visit to what recently were fields is at once a revela-
tion and surprise. New streets have been opened out, new and
magnificent mansions have been erected, comfortable houses for
the middle classes have been built, and places of business to
meet all local -vants have been provided. In addition to this,
fthere are very few points which are not within five minutes'
walk of the street cars.
TORONTO IN 1886. 161
The enormous development of Toronto of late years is largely
the result of a liberal policy which has brought the railroads of
the Province, and with them a large portion of the northern
and western sections, to our doors. There are to be added to
this, the public spirit of the people, the business enterprise of
the merchants, the good sanitary condition of the city, and the
presence of all those religious and other metropolitan advan-
tages which persons retiring from active business life elsewhere
naturally seek. Toronto is making great strides towards being
the Chicago of Canada.
Meat Markets and Horses of Toronto.
Contrasting with the inferior meat of former times, the
markets of Toronto, for splendid supplies of first-class meats
cannot be surpassed anywhere. The display at Christmas time
is another evidence of Toronto's great progress, and would do
credit to any city in the world.
In connection with this, reference may be made to the won-
derful improvement that has taken place in all classes of horses,
which are to be seen in such numbers on our streets. Whether
for saddle, carriage, or heavy draught, no city in America can
show finer specimens of horse-flesh, and it is only in point of
size that they are excelled in Britain. The finest display of
heavy draught horses in the world is to be seen on the first of
May in Manchester, when, in splendid new brass-mounted,
shining harness, and gaily decorated with ribbons and flowers,
the proud teamsters display their leviathan animals, sleek and
fat, in a procession extending for miles in length. Toronto
horses belonging to the railway companies are quite equal in
symmetry and condition.
Toronto's Natural Advantages.
We get here no earthquakes such as those of which the San
Franciscan sleeps in nightly dread. We get no fervid heat,
such as in New York often slays its scores in a day by sun-
162 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
stroke. We get no excessive degree of cold, such as all places
to the east, west, and north, and some to the south, including
Chicago and St. Louis, suffer from. We get no cyclone or wind-
storm, such as all the cities west of us, even as near as Detroit,
are subject to. No western cyclone ever yet reached this
district. We get no floods, such as periodically inflict loss and
suffering beyond calculation upon many of our sister cities.
Nature has done everything for our comfort, providing even
for the absence of the mosquito, which is just beginning to ply
its proboscis elsewhere.
Toronto a City of Churches.
Wherever God erects a house of prayer,
The devil always builds a chapel there ;
And 'twill be found upon examination
The latter has the larger congregation.
— Daniel Defoe.
If this celebrated man, the father or founder of the English
novel, was living in Toronto to-day he would scarcely venture
to introduce the above lines into a satire on churches and
church-goers. The congregations worshipping in Toronto
churches would show a very different result from what is im-
plied in the above verse. In no city in the world are churches
more numerous, or the congregations larger, in proportion to
the population, and it is safe to say that in this respect the
church accommodation is larger than in any other city. Taking
the average capacity to be one thousand, and the number of
churches in Toronto and suburbs at one hundred and twenty,
the entire population, if present at one time, could nearly
be accommodated; and this cannot be said of any other
city. Although this can never happen, it is evident the
average attendance must be very large and the accommo-
dation abundant.
It is safe to say, that nowhere else can such a sight be wit-
nessed on a fine Sunday evening, within the same limits, as in
Toronto, when the churches are emptied of the crowds of wor-
TORONTO IN 1886. 163
shippers and the sidewalks are blocked with the throngs re-
turning to their homes.
The writer having spent Sundays in every large church-
going city on both sides of the Atlantic, can make this state-
ment without fear of successful contradiction ; nor is there any-
where to be seen better dressed or more respectable looking
congregations than worship in Toronto churches.
What the feelings must be of those who absent themselves
from Toronto churches on Sunday I cannot imagine, never
having such an experience, but it seems as if that very absence
would preach a sermon which, to every freethinker or agnostic,
would be as powerful in favor of Christianity as if a sermon
were listened to inside the walls of a church.
The ringing of the bells is at an end, the rumbling of the
carriage has ceased, the pattering of the feet is heard no more,
the flocks are folded in the numerous churches. For a time
everything is hushed, but soon is heard the deep pervading
sound of the organ, rolling and vibrating through the buildings
and out into the streets, and the sweet chanting of the choirs
makes them resound with melody and praise, while it is poured
forth like a river of joy through the recesses of the city, elevat-
ing and bearing the soul on a tide of triumphant harmony to
heaven. The wanderer about the streets at such a time is not
a proper subject for envy.
In writing of Toronto as a city of churches, the men who, by
their faithful discharge of duty and their advocacy and in-
fluence, have been to a great extent instrumental in educating
the religious element up to the present high standard of church-
going in Toronto, ought not to be forgotten. The following are
amongst those to whom much of the credit is due, and as the
names are given entirely from memory, and none given whom
the writer has not heard preach since 1847, any omission will
be overlooked : —
BAPTIST.
Rev. Messrs. Piper, Fyfe, Caldecott, Castle and Thomas.
164 TOBONTO "CALLED BACK."
CONGREGATIONAL.
Kev. Messrs. Roaf, Ellerby, Marling, Lillie, Burton, Powis,
Wild and Sandham.
PRESBYTERIAN.
Rev. Messrs. Burns, Topp, Barclay, Gregg, Taylor, Parsons,
King, McLeod, Macdonnell, Kirkpatrick, Milligan, Robb, Kel-
logg and Patterson.
EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Bishops Strachan, Bethune, McLean and Sweatman ; Rev.
Messrs. Grasett, Baldwin, Lett, Givens, Sanson, Williams, Dar-
ling, Pearson, Scadding, Lewis, Jones, Rainsford, DuMoulin,
Langtry, McCollum, McCarrol, Bilkey, Boddy, Henry G. Bald-
win and Morgan Baldwin.
METHODIST.
On account of the itinerant system of the Methodist Church,
the array of names will necessarily be much greater than of the
others.
Rev. Messrs. Hetherington, Cooney, Harvard, Richey, Evans,
Wood, Rice, Stinson, Wilkinson, Squire, Bishop, Douse, Douglas,
Elliott, Ryerson, Rose, Taylor, Green, Spencer, Sanderson, Bor-
land, Howard, Williams, Hall, Lavell, Stevenson, Punshon,
Cochrane, McClure, Savage, Potts, Briggs, Dewart, Dorey,
Johnston, Antliff, S. J. Hunter, W. J. Hunter, Clarkson, W. W.
Ross, Jeffrey, Jeffers, Hannan, Learoyd, McRitchie, Stafford,
Poole, Bridgeman, Harper, Laird, Starr, Blackstock, S. P. Rose,
Shorey, Henderson, Maxwell, J. V. Smith, Philp and Ockley.
THE SALVATION TEMPLE.
The Salvation Temple just completed is quite an imposing
structure with its castellated bastions, combining in appearance
the castle, the barracks and the temple. The frontage is 106
feet, with a depth of 100. It is built of red brick with stone
facings. A space of 22 feet has been divided off in front to be
used as offices. Through this portion three entrances reach the
Temple ; the central one being broad and lofty. The height of
the ceiling inside is 32 feet, and the width 96, with no roof
columns. This is the widest span without support of any
TORONTO IN 1886. 165
public building in Canada. The walls are four feet thick, and
are capable of standing an enormous strain.
The auditorium will hold about 2,500 people, and there is not
a bad seat in the house ; the ventilation is perfect, as are also
the acoustic properties.
The Temple is constructed in amphitheatrical form and has
one gallery at the back. The ground floor rises from the centre,
and a passage runs entirely round next the wall.
The officers conducting the services sit on the north side,
with the soldiers and audience all about them. The soldiers for
the most part occupy the pit or dress circle. The latter
THE SALVATION ARMY TEMPLE.
arrangement is in accordance with the system followed by
General Booth in England. The ceiling of the Temple is of
varnished wood, while the walls are finished stucco work in
plaster. Texts and mottoes are also used as additional orna-
ments. The entire height of the building, which comprises
four stories, is eighty feet to the top of the tower, and fifty feet
to the centre and slates. The windows are all stained glass
with Scripture mottoes. A pair of iron gates close in the
front entrance, over which appears in stone letters the single
word " Hallelujah." The entire cost was about $40,000.
166 TOKONTO "CALLED BACK."
THE SALVATION ARMY
reports that the organization is at work in one hundred and
fifty-one cities, towns and villages throughout the country. It
has out-posts in fifty-three places. In five places land has been
secured for building purposes, while there are barracks in forty
places. The number of officers in 1885 was 418, number of
corps 148, and out-posts 47. The attendance numbered 269,000,
being an increase over the previous year of 76,612. The
amount of money received and expended weekly on the local
corps was $2,905.
The Temple was formally opened on the arrival of Marshal
Ballington Booth, who came this way from Australia (on his
return to England) to dedicate the building. The " Council of
War " continued from the 1st to the 8th of May, and was the
occasion of enthusiastic demonstrations. The daily processions,
accompanied by bands of music, were witnessed by immense
crowds of people, and at night the vast auditorium of the
Temple was crowded to excess. On Sunday, the 2nd, the formal
dedication took place, and each succeeding day and evening
through the week there was a change of programme^ including
a Hallelujah Wedding and Infant Dedication.
On the night of the latter ceremony a number of officers and
soldiers who had been imprisoned for noisy demonstrations
appeared in prison costume and related their experience. In
connection with the presentation of the infant the Marshal
stated that twenty-eight years^ ago he was taken by his parents
sixty miles in England to be baptized by the Rev. Jas. Caughey,
so well known in Toronto, who is still living, and commencing
again to preach as an evangelist.
The Marshal gave a striking account of his opening cam-
paign in Manchester, — the extraordinary language used in the
posters having brought immense masses of the people to see
and hear, — and then of his arrest and imprisonment; all of
which had a thrilling effect on the vast audience. He left for
England the following week, accompanied by Commissioner
Coombs and William Gooderham, Esq., of this city.
TORONTO IN 1886.
167
Toronto an Educational Centre.
This position claimed for Toronto will be admitted by all.
From the lowest step in the ladder to the highest, no city can
boast of equal advantages in the shape of education. The
Common School system, a lasting monument to the ability, wis-
dom, and indefatigable exertions of the late Dr. Ryerson, has
\\
REV. EGERTON RYERSON, D.D.
been brought to a state of perfection perhaps unequalled in the
world. Framed on the models of all the best systems in every
other country, it combines the best features of all, and improve-
ments on most.
168 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Rising in the scale, it will be found that no educational want
has been left unsupplied ; whatever the pursuit or profession
the student may intend to follow through life, he will find a
school, academy, college or university in which he will have
full scope for his ambition. From the Public Schools, there is a
step upwards to the Model Schools, then to the Collegiate Insti-
tute, Upper Canada College, and to the University of Toronto.
Then there are technical schools, including the School of Prac-
tical Science and the Ontario School of Art.
A city possessing so many advantages for students must
afford increasing attractions from year to year, the high stand-
ing of its professors, and the honors to be obtained, whether as
medals, scholarships, fellowships or other degrees, offer induce-
ments superior to those of any other city in the Dominion, and
must lead ultimately to the federation of other colleges with
the University of Toronto.
In addition to the colleges named are Knox College, Trinity
College, the Baptist College, and St. Michael's. There are also
the College of Pharmacy, Toronto School of Medicine, Trinity
Medical School, Veterinary College, Canadian Institute, School
of Divinity, or Wycliffe College, and Methodist University.
The Normal School, for the training of teachers, was estab-
lished in 1847. The present buildings were erected in 1851,
the corner stone being laid by the Earl of Elgin, and in the
month of November, 1852, the buildings were opened. They
were then described as being elegant in architectural appear-
ance, commodious in their accommodations, and healthy in their
situation. They are at present an ornament to St. James' Square,
the grounds surrounding the building being beautifully laid
out with trees and flower beds, and in addition there is a hand-
some conservatory.
The Educational Museum is a source of attraction to visitors,
as well as valuable to the students, and contains paintings, stat-
uary, and curiosities of various kinds, plaster casts of Egyptian,
Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian and Roman antiquities.
It also contains philosophical apparatus, being representative,
on a small scale, of the South Kensington Museum.
TORONTO IN 1886. 171
Indian and Colonial Exhibition, South Kensington,
London, 1886.
When Albert "the Good," Prince Consort, first conceived the
idea of inviting all nations to exhibit the productions of their
skill and industry in London, the project was entertained with
some doubt, but when the crystal structure was reared in Hyde
Park, and all countries poured in their treasures, and after the
invocation of a blessing by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the
youthful Queen, surrounded by her great ministers of state,
and ambassadors from all foreign nations, amid the strains of
music and the boom of artillery, proclaimed the Exhibition
open, and when for six months the millions of visitors had
gazed with wonder and awe at the vastness of the building, so
high as to enclose large elm trees, and then had feasted their
eyes on all that was rare and beautiful, the grand result showed
the wisdom of the undertaking.
This was followed by another in New York in 1853, then
came Paris in 1855, London again in 1862, then Paris in 1867,
after that Vienna, and the Centennial in Philadelphia, next
Paris in 1878, then came Antwerp, and the "Fisheries" and
"Inventories" in London, and Paris again in 1889.
In all of these Great Britain and her colonies were largely
represented, but it remained for the year 1886 to see the
British Empire alone in her dignity and grandeur, represented
by her Indian and Colonial subjects, and the productions, varied
and exhaustless, of their mines, fisheries, forests, agriculture,
animals and manufactures, at the great centre of the Empire
over which Her Majesty reigns in the happy and appropriate
character of Empress of India and Queen of Great Britain and
Ireland and all her Colonies.
This Empire, on which the sun never sets, and the roll of
whose drum beat never ceases round the habitable globe as it
is taken up every hour while the earth revolves on her axis,
with a population numbering one-fifth of that of the whole
world, has undoubtedly made such a display as the world has
never seen as belonging to one Empire.
172 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
From the continent of India, including the newly annexed
Kingdom of Burmah, have poured in countless treasures of
gold, silver, jewels, diamonds, ivory, silk and gold embroideries,
shawls, tapestries, and other fine manufactures of fabulous
value.
From " Ceylon's Isle," where the spicy breezes blow so softly,
have come coffee and spices, and from the land
"Where the feathery palm trees rise,
And the date grows ripe under sunny skies ;
And midst the green islands of glittering seas,
Where fragrant forests perfume the breeze ;
And strange, bright birds, on their starry wings,
Bear the ridr* hues of all glorious things ;
And from far away, in this region old,
Where rivers wander o'er seas of gold,
Where the burning rays of the ruby shine,
And the diamond lights up the golden mine,
And the pearl gleams forth from the coral strand."
Came all that the imagination can conceive of, or the Arabian
Nights have pictured of richness, grandeur, magnificence and
luxury.
From Australia, embracing New South Wales, Van Dieman's
Land and New Zealand, have been sent the great natural pro-
ductions of these vast countries — animals and their produce,
in the shape of wool, meats and cheese, and the celebrated
woollen manufactures of Nelson, with a variety of other speci-
mens worthy of a great nation.
The gold fields of Australia, already represented in the
Crystal Palace at Sydenham by a pyramid showing the bulk
of gold shipped to England, from its first discovery up to a
comparatively recent period, exhibit much that is still more
magnificent.
From Africa have been sent ostrich feathers, coffee and ivory,
and men of every shade, from the dark Hottentot to the Euro-
pean colonist, unite to make their very best display.
And so the isles of the sea, Newfoundland, Bermuda
and the West Indian Islands, and some in the Pacific Ocean,
TORONTO IN 1886. 173
have vied with each other in this great peaceful and brotherly
rivalry.
The representation of the great Dominion of Canada, the
brightest jewel in the Imperial Crown, has been accomplished
in a manner worthy of her greatness, and from the Atlantic to
the Pacific the varied productions of her mines, fisheries, forests,
agriculture, animals and manufactures is already displayed, to
show to the world the vast strides made by this young giant
in the march of civilization, arts, sciences, trade, commerce and
manufactures; and Canada, undoubtedly, has given a good
account of herself, even when side by side with the rich pro-
ductions of her sister colonies, and the great continent of India
itself.
No one city excelled Toronto in the exhibition of what is
both useful and beautiful.
Who can predict the result of this union of the great British
family, brought together in this way for the first time ? The
Hindoo of India has shaken hands with his brother, the red
man of the Canadian forest ; and the New Zealander, described
by Macaulay as one day sitting on London Bridge sketching
the ruins of St. Paul's, was there to falsify the prediction on
behalf of his future countrymen, and has seen in the wonders
exhibited but the beginning of the extension of the brotherly
inter-communication of trade and commerce, when Canada,
with Toronto as its commercial centre, will be the great high-
way between India, Australia, and the central heart of the
Empire, and as Sir George Stephen, quoting the words of the
late Sir John A. Macdonald, has just expressed it, the termini of
this great highway will be Hong Kong and Liverpool. Then
will soon arrive the time when those vast regions, traversed by
the iron road, will be peopled by untold millions of happy and
contented settlers, all true in their allegiance to the great
Empire of which Canadians are now amongst the most loyal
subjects.
The writer who, in 1896, describes Toronto with a population
of 250,000, will assuredly refer to the present time as the most
remarkable period in her history.
174 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, the last rail
on Callender Junction spiked down on the 18th of January,
making the distance from Toronto to Winnipeg shorter by two
hundred and thirteen miles ; the commencement of shipments
to Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan ; the coincidence
of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition and the jubilee of Her
Majesty's coronation, all combining as happy omens of the
great future, augur well for the great future that lies before
her.
The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and, what
is sure to follow, a line of ocean steamers from Vancouver to
Hong Kong, and thence through British territory to Calcutta,
together with the formation of the Dominion of Australia,
point to the near approach of what must happen in -the closer
union of all British countries.
Every thinking mind must look back with wonder and
admiration on the past years of the now waning century.
These have been years of miraculous progress, of vast revolu-
tions in surrounding empires, of startling discoveries in science,
of beneficial changes in social life.
Time and space have become the servants of science. The
telegraph enables us to converse with absent friends instanta-
neously, or by the railway we fly to see them on the wings of
swiftness ; and England, in the midst of the changes of other
nations, rears her proud head, great and glorious, powerful and
peaceful, rejoicing in that precious liberty of mind and body
which constitutes her the Queen of Nations.
OPENING CEREMONIES.
" That they all may be one ! " That mother and daughters,
Tenderly linked like the Graces in love,
Girdling the globe, over lands, over waters,
May be united beneath and above.
Here on this orb's upper hemisphere olden,
There on that younger half -circle beneath,
Everywhere shall one sweet union unfolden
England's fair scions in olive-twined wreath.
All to be one ! What a blest federation !
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE OF WALES.
TOKONTO IN 1886. 177
Britain, Imperial Queen of the World,
Sealed as one heart, one life, and one nation,
Under one cross, one standard unfurled :
Owning one law of religion and reason,
Speaking one language, and rich in its wealth,
Proud of the past, and the bright present season,
And the grand future of hope and of health.
So may the whole world's glorious communion,
Nature, and Science, and Commerce, rejoice ;
Growing together in one happy union,
Filling the welkin with gratitude's voice.
Canada, Africa, Zealand, Australia,
India, continents, isles of the sea,
Adding your jewels to Britain's regalia,
One with Old England the home of the free !
— Martin JFarquhar Tupper.
The Exhibition was formally opened by Her Majesty on the
4th of May, and was characterized by the impressive, peaceful
pomp and pageantry of a Royal progress, and was one of the
most remarkable the world has ever seen.
The weather was beautiful. Crowds gathered along the
route taken by Her Majesty from Buckingham Palace, and
greeted her with enthusiastic cheers.
The main hall in which the opening ceremonies were con-
ducted was crowded with the elite of London. The large
number of foreign princes and diplomats who attended in court
dress, combined with scores of British officers present, in full
glittering uniforms, made a magnificent spectacle.
The Prince of Wales, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Henry of
Battenburg and his wife (Princess Beatrice), and the Crown
Princess Victoria of Germany, led the Royal procession through
the building, and were followed by Lord Hartington, the
Marquis of Salisbury, Earl Derby, and scores of other distin-
guished persons. So great was the rush to witness the Royal
profession to the Exhibition building that it required, besides
a strong force of cavalry, upwards of 1,000 policemen to keep
a passage-way for the Royal carriages through the streets.
When the Queen's carriage arrived the entrance was surrounded
by throngs of distinguished persons. The Royal guard of
178 TOUONTO "CALLED BACK."
honor lined the corridors when Her Majesty alighted and
passed into the building. When the Queen appeared in the
hall she was greeted with enthusiastic cheers.
The opening ceremonies were simple, and consisted of a
carefully prepared programme of music, the presentation of
addresses to the Queen by the Colonies participating in the
Exhibition, and a formal declaration by Her Majesty that the
show was open.
The music was grand. Among the numbers was "Home,
Sweet Home,'' sung by Albani. The immense choir, accom-
panied by the great organ and orchestra, rendered the Halle-
lujah Chorus with powerful effect.
The chief feature of the opening ceremonies was the singing
of the new British Ode composed by Tennyson for the occasion.
The poem is in four parts — one of welcome to the exhibitors ;
one of prayer for the inheritance by the Colonies of England's
attributes ; the third describing the loss of the United States,
and the lesson of it ; and the fourth an appeal for the unity of
the Empire.
Her Majesty was immensely pleased and much affected by
the singing of the ode. She smiled and nodded approval over
each patriotic sentiment rendered, and was fairly radiant with
pleasure when the vast audience caught up the poet's spirit and
vented their joy in deafening thunders of applause. The text
of the ode is as follows : —
Welcome, welcome ! with one voice
In your welfare we rejoice,
Sons and brothers, that have sent
From Isle, and Cape, and Continent,
Produce of your field and flood,
Mount and line and primal wood.
Works of subtle brain and hand,
And splendors of the morning land ;
Gifts from every British zone.
Britons, hold your own !
f
May we find, as ages run,
The mother featured in the son j
And may yours forever be
TOKONTO IN 1886. 179
That old strength and constancy,
Which has made your fathers great
In our ancient Island State ;
And where'er her flag may fly,
Glorying between sea and sky,
Make the might of Britain known.
Britons, hold your own !
Britain fought her sons of yore ;
Britain failed, and never more,
Careless of our growing kin,
Shall we sin our fathers' sin.
Men that in a narrower day —
Unprophetic rulers they —
Drove from out the mother's nest
That young eagle of the west,
To forage for herself alone.
Britons, hold your own !
Sharers of our glorious past, .
Brothers, must we part at last ?
Shall not we, through good and ill,
Cleave to one another still ?
Britain's myriad voices call :
Sons be wedded, each and all,
Into one Imperial whole —
One with Britain, heart and soul,
One life, one flag, one fleet, one throne.
Britains, hold your own !
And God guard all.
All the parts were sung in English but the second. This
had been translated into Sanscrit, by Professor Max Muller, as
a mark of courtesy to the large number of Orientals attending
the Exhibition.
A noteworthy incident in the ceremony was the presentation
to Her Majesty, by Sir George H. Chubb, of a master key of
the most elaborate workmanship, which could open any of the
500 Chubb locks in the Exhibition. This choice and costly
specimen of the locksmith's art is adorned with jewels of all
kinds, and decked with many a dainty and symbolic device.
180 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
It is well worth a minute description. Imagine it, half a foot
long, made of burnished gold, set off with enamel and a variety
of jewels, the bow being hexagonal in shape. In the centre of
the hexagon, as seen from one side, is a golden representation
of the head of a lion in high relief, langued with ruby, crowned
and set in red enamel surrounded with a band of white enamel,
with the inscription, "The Colonial and Indian Exhibition/*
From this central circle radiate to the angles of the hexagon
six shields in raised blue enamel, each bearing a symbol in gold
of the colony or dependency — the animals chosen being th&
sheep, elephant, tiger, opossum, beaver and buffalo. At the
bow end of the key, and surmounting the bow, is the Imperial
crown, the band of which is jewelled with rubies and emeralds.
The pin of the key as it leaves the hexagon starts from a centre
of four elephants' heads, whose trunks form a socket on either
side of the bow. The radiating shields are of yellow gold, and
bear the names of several of the Colonies, whose symbols are
of the obverse, and in the centre of a small nugget of gold.
This key represented symbolically the opening of the Exhi-
bition by Her Majesty, after which she handed it to the Prince
of Wales.
In addition to the distinguished personages named above,
Her Majesty was accompanied by several young Princes and
Princesses, including in all thirteen of her children and grand-
children; all the former being present except the Duke of
Edinburgh, who commanded the fleet in Greek waters.
When the Prince of Wales had read the address on behalf of
the Commissioners of the Exhibition, and the Queen had read
her reply, he kissed the hand of Her Majesty, but she drew
him towards her and kissed him on the cheek.
Thus ended a most significant and appropriate celebration,
which, as the first strictly Imperial pageant, attests the strength
and unity of the British Empire, and emphasizes that desire
for still closer union which has become almost a passion of
patriotic hearts, whether they beat in the younger Britain,
beyond the seas or in the old Island Home.
TORONTO IN 1886. 181
THE CANADIAN EXHIBITS
Created a profound impression on the British mind. The
people of England had never before been able to realize the
extent and variety of Canadian resources, and it may be said
with confidence, that this country never stood in anything like
as high estimation amongst the British people as she does
to-day. The magnitude of her public works, the healthfulness
of her climate, and the immensity of her territorial extent,
were made apparent through the Exhibition as no other means
could have accomplished.
Commemorative diplomas and medals have been awarded to
every exhibitor at the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, number-
ing about three thousand of each.
The medals are of bronze, and are very* handsome in design
and finish. They are about double the size of an ordinary
penny. On the obverse side is a profile portrait of the Prince
of Wales, while on the reverse are the words, " Colonial and
Indian Exhibition, 1886," surrounded by a cluster of oak leaves.
The diplomas are large-sized and of exquisite design and
finish, being artistically colored. Britannia is represented,
trident in hand, seated on a throne guarded by the British lion.
Behind her stand two figures, one with torch in hand, the other
spinning cotton, both representing, according to the interpreta-
tion, the march of progress and the speed of enlightenment in
the British ' Empire. Directly in front of Britannia, who
extends her right hand in friendly welcome, are groups of
individuals attired in characteristic costumes of the various
Colonies. Here the noble red man, with uplifted head, presents
his contribution to the wealth of the Empire ; while there his
more thinly-clad fellow-subject from the burning plains of
India, the lordly Zulu, or under-sized Negro, laden with the
product of his clime, seemingly vie with one another in their
amiable glances in the direction of welcoming Britannia.
Without an open window is seen a purple sea, on which is
calmly floating a British man-of-war, reminding the Colonists
of their security at all times.
182 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
TORONTO EXHIBITS.
No city could compare with Toronto in the number and
variety of her exhibits, as shown by the large number of
medals and diplomas distributed. The number presented
through the Education Department alone was 137, and advan-
tage was taken of the presence in Toronto of the Governor-
General and Lady Lansdowne to make the presentation. This
interesting event took place on the 4th of May, at a conver-
sazione given in the Normal School buildings ; the proceedings
being interspersed with vocal and instrumental selections.
The recipients of medals were connected with the Normal and
Model Schools, the Art School, Public and Separate Schools,
Collegiate Institute and various Colleges, School of Practical
Science and Toronto University, and exhibitors of school
supplies, books and musical instruments, and proved a most
interesting occasion ; the principal feature being the address of
His Excellency on fine arts, which was replete with informa-
tion, and both complimentary and encouraging to the students.
An interesting description of the arrangement of the educa-
tional exhibits and the general effect was given by Dr. S.
Passmore May, who was the Commissioner in charge, under the
direction of Hon. G. W. Ross, Minister of Education. Dr.
May has published a complete report, and also a catalogue of
the whole educational exhibits, which are very valuable and
interesting.
HON. SIR CHARLES TUPPER, G.C.M.G., C.B.
All the exhibitors from Toronto speak in the highest terms
of the indefatigable exertions, inexhaustible patience, and
uniform courtesy displayed by Sir Charles Tupper during the
exhibition.
Dominion Day, 1886.
The nineteenth birthday of Confederation, amidst the usual
celebration that took place, was especially remarkable at Win-
nipeg by the arrival there of the first through passenger train
for Vancouver, which left Montreal on June 28th. Its arrival
HON. SIR CHARLES TUPPER, BARONET,
High Commissioner for Canada.
184 TOKONTO "CALLED BACK."
was greeted with a grand military display, the firing of a feu
dejoie, thunder of artillery, and the cheers of the assembled
multitude.
The civic address to the President and Directors of the
Canadian Pacific Railway contained the following : " We have
no doubt as to the influence this stupendous work will have
upon the commercial progress of the grand old empire of which
we are proud to form a part.
" We know that the consummation of this work will unite
and consolidate an extensive British Colonial Empire in
America, and that by placing our own girdle around the Con-
tinent, territories now lying waste and desolate will be brought
under the beneficent influence of civilization and commerce,
maintaining in British hands that supremacy that would appear
to be the heritage of the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic races."
This was the first train run on the twenty-four hour time
system introduced by the C. P. R. Co. The train to connect
left Toronto on the 28th, at seventeen (five p.m.) o'clock.
The train arrived at Port Moody on the 5th July, and was
received with great enthusiasm, the Victoria band playing
" See the Conquering Hero Comes." ,
The town of Vancouver was entirely destroyed by fire on
the 13th June.
NIAGARA RIVER, BELOW THE FALLS.
TORONTO FROM 188T TO 1892.
Rebellion of 1837.
In the session of Parliament at Toronto, in 1836-37, Dr.
Rolph used the following language : " Our geographical situa-
tion is singular. To the south we are barred from the Atlantic
coast by the American Republic ; to the north and north-west
you pass through barren lands to mountains covered with
everlasting snows, and among Indian tribes unknown ; and to
the east we are interrupted by the sister Province, the very
Province with which it is proposed to unite us."
The state of political affairs may be judged from the language
used at this time by an English organ of the Opposition:
"Henceforth there must be no peace to the Province; no
quarter for the plunderers ; agitate ! agitate ! ! agitate ! ! ! De-
stroy the revenue; denounce the oppressors. Everything is
lawful when the fundamental liberties are in danger. The
Guards die ; they never surrender."
At public meetings the Imperial resolutions were denounced
as a breach of faith and a violation of right. Resolutions were
adopted to use as little as possible of imported articles paying
duty, and to raise a Papineau tribute in imitation of O'Connell's
Repeal Rent. Such was the state of affairs in Canada while
yet His Majesty William IV. sat on the throne of Great Britain.
On the 15th of June, 1837, five days before the accession of
Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Lord Gosford tried the effect of a
proclamation on the agitation which was convulsing society.
13
186 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
He assured the people that the Imperial Parliament had neither
violated nor was about to violate the just rights and privileges
of His Majesty's Canadian subjects. This proclamation was
torn in pieces by the habitants in Lower Canada, amid cries of
"A bas la proclamation!" The French-Canadians rallied to
the popular cries " Vive Papineau ! Vive la liberte* ! Point du
despotisme ! "
In Upper Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie in his journal
declaimed on the condition of public affairs with scathing
bitterness. He thus wrote :
" Canadians ! Brother Colonists ! Your mock Parliament has
done its duty ; bills and badgerings have followed each other
in quick succession.
" Ye false Canadians ! Tories ! Pensioners ! Placemen ! Prof-
ligates ! Orangemen! Churchmen! Spies! Informers! Brokers!
Gamblers ! Parasites and knaves of every caste and description,
allow me to congratulate you! Never was a vagabond race
more prosperous ! Never did successful villainy rejoice in
brighter visions of the future than ye may indulge. Ye may
plunder and rob with impunity ; your feet are on the people's
necks ; they are transformed into tame, crouching slaves, ready
to be trampled on. Erect your Juggernaut; the people are
ready to be sacrificed under the wheels of the idol.
" The four-pound loaf is at a Halifax shilling (20 cents) ; the
barrel of flour brings twelve dollars. Woe and wailing and
pauperism and crime meet us at every corner of the streets.
The settlers and their families on the Ottawa, in Simcoe, in the
rear of the London district, and many new settlements, seldom
taste a morsel of bread, and are glad to gnaw the bark off the
trees, or sell their improvements for a morsel to keep away
starvation.
" The settlers are leaving the country in thousands for lands
less favored by nature, but blessed with free institutions and
just government. The merchants are going to ruin one after
another ; even sycophancy and degrading scurrility have failed
to save them this time. They cry out, Why is it so ? I pity
them not. Money, wealth, power, was their god, the Dagon of
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 187
their idolatry. Let them cry aloud and spare not ; perhaps even
now he will help them.
" But why are want and misery come among us ? Ah ! ye
rebels to Christianity, ye detest the truth, ye shut your ears
against that which is right. Your country is taxed, priest-
ridden, sold to strangers and ruined. What then ! Ye share
the plunders! Like the Lazarroni of Italy, ye delight in
cruelty and distress, and lamentation and woe."
Mr. Mackenzie died in 1861, and even at that time he must
have been himself astonished at the wonderful changes which
.had taken place in the condition of the country during the
previous twenty-four years of the reign of Queen Victoria ; and
had he lived during the following twenty-six years and wit-
nessed the Jubilee — with its glorious associations and unpar-
alleled record of progress and prosperity, and nowhere greater
than in the Dominion of Canada, and the City of Toronto — no
doubt he would rejoice with every other loyal subject — as he
afterwards proved to be — at the results of the benign and
benignant sway of her who sits upon England's throne and
lives in the hearts of her Canadian subjects.
It must not be inferred from the preceding historical extracts
that the Canadian people had become disloyal: although a
large number joined in the abortive rebellion, they were only a
small minority of malcontents, while the great body remained
true to the Government, their loyalty being intensified by the
insurrection which had taken place.
The Queen's Jubilee.
The Queen attained her 68th birthday on May 24th, and the
20th of June completed the fiftieth year of her glorious reign.
There have been but three similar jubilees in our history.
The jubilee of Henry III., was kept on the 19th of October,
1265, and the festival celebration was hardly a joy-inspiring
one. The next royal jubilee was that of Edward III, kept on
the 25th of January, 1377, in connection with which also there
seems to have been little cause for jubilation. On the 25th of
188 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
October, 1809, the jubilee of George III. was celebrated with
more joyous hilarity than characterized either of the two prede-
cessors. The Queen's Jubilee excels them all in the loyalty and
affection of her subjects.
"Carmen Sseculare."
LORD TENNYSON'S JUBILEE ODE.
I.
Fifty times the rose has flower'd and faded,
Fifty times the golden harvest fallen,
Since our Queen assumed the globe, the sceptre.
II.
She, beloved for a kindliness
Rare in fable or history,
Queen, and Empress of India,
Crown'd so long with a diadem
Never worn by a worthier,
Now with prosperous auguries
Comes at last to the bounteous
Crowning year of her Jubilee.
III.
Kothing of the lawless, of the Despot,
Nothing of the vulgar, the vainglorious,
All is gracious, gentle, great and Queenly.
IV.
You then loyally, all of you,
Deck your houses, illuminate
All your towns for a festival,
And in each let a multitude
Loyal, each to the heart of it
One full voice of allegiance,
Hail the great Ceremonial
Of this year of her Jubilee.
V.
Queen, as true to womanhood as Queenhood,
Glorying in the glories of her people,
Sorrowing with the sorrows of the lowest !
TORONTO FKOM 1887 TO 1892. 189
VI.
You, that wanton in affluence,
Spare not now to be bountiful,
Call your poor to regale with you,
Make your neighborhood healthfuller,
Give your gold to the Hospital,
Let the weary be comforted,
Let the needy be banqueted,
Let the maim'd in his heart rejoice
At this year of her Jubilee.
VII.
Henry's fifty years are all in shadow,
Gray with distance Edward's fifty summers,
Ev'n her Grandsire's fifty half forgotten.
VIII.
You, the Patriot Architect,
Shape a stately memorial,
Make it regally gorgeous,
Some Imperial Institute,
Rich in symbol, in ornament, v
Which may speak to the centuries,
All the centuries after us,
Of this year of her Jubilee.
IX.
Fifty years of ever-broadening Commerce !
Fifty years of ever-brightening Science !
Fifty years of ever- widening Empire !
X.
You, the Mighty, the Fortunate,
You, the Lord-territorial,
You, the Lord-manufacturer,
You, the hardy, laborious,
Patient children of Albion,
You, Canadian, Indian,
Australasian, African,
All your hearts be in harmony,
All your voices in unison,
Singing " Hail to the glorious
Golden year of her Jubilee ! "
190 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
XL
Are there thunders moaning in the distance ?
Are there spectres moving in the darkness ?
Trust the Lord of Light to guide her people,
Till the thunders pass, the spectres vanish,
And the Light is Victor, and the darkness
Dawns into the Jubilee of the Ages.
Only six sovereigns of England since the Norman Conquest
attained an age equal to or beyond that which the Queen
attained on the 24th of May, 1887. These were : Queen
Elizabeth, who reached 69 years ; James II., 68 years ; George
II., 77 years ; George III., 82 years; George IV., 68 years, and
William IV., 72 years. Her Majesty's reign has only been
twice exceeded in length, namely, by Henry III., who reigned
for 56 years, and by George III., who reigned for 60 years; but
the reign of one other sovereign, Edward III., equalled it by
extending to 50 years.
Queen Victoria is only eighth in descent from James I, a
long stretch of history being covered by the seven intervening
lives. She is fourteenth in descent from Edward VI., twenty-
eighth in descent from Henry I., thirty-fifth in descent from
Alfred the Great, and thirty-seventh in descent from Egbert,
the first sole monarch of England. The ramifications of her
pedigree connect her with many other illustrious personages in
addition to those already named.
Fifty Years' Progress.
No equal period in the history of the world has witnessed
such advances in science and speed, such rapid development in
the useful arts, such an increase of comfort, liberty and enlight-
; enment. Since Queen Victoria ascended the British Throne
: the population of Great Britain and Ireland has increased from
' 26,000,000 to 37,000,000. The acquisition of foreign territory
j by Great Britain is without a parallel in the history of the
human family. She bears rule over one-third of the surface of
the globe, and over nearly % one-fourth of its population. Her
TOKONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 191
possessions abroad are in area sixty times larger than the parent
state. She owns three millions and a half of square miles in
America, one million each in Africa and Asia, and two and a
half millions in Australia. At the Indian and Colonial Exhibi-
tion in London, in 1886, sixty-eight colonies and dependencies
were represented, varying in extent from Gibraltar, with its
two square miles, to Canada with her three millions and a half.
In the fifty years her aggregate wealth has more than trebled,
her foreign commerce has increased five-fold; the imports of
the United Kingdom have increased from £66,000,000 to £374,-
000,000. During the same period the imports of the British
Possessions have increased from £26,000,000 to £218,000,000.
The public revenues of the United Kingdom have grown since
the Queen's accession from £55,000,000 to £93,000,000, and of
the British Possessions from £23,000,000 to £115,000,000. In
1837, the shipping of the United Kingdom was 9,000,000 tons ;
in 1887 it reached 64,000,000 tons. .In the fifty years the
average entered and cleared at ports in the British Possessions
had increased from 7,000,000 to 78,000,000 tons.
The penny postage was introduced soon after the Queen
came to the throne, and in 1839 the total number of letters
delivered in the United Kingdom was 82,471,000. In 1885
what was their number ? The total was 1,403,000,000 letters,
496,000,000 newspapers and books, and 172,000,000 post-cards,
making a total of 2,071,000,000.
The increase of wealth in the United Kingdom in the fifty
years has been enormous, the taxable income having risen in
thirty years from £308,000,000 to £631,000,000, or in the pro-
portion of 105 per cent.
When Queen Victoria ascended the throne, Australia was
only a convict settlement, British India belonged to a commer-
cial company, the South African Colony was little more than a
barren rock, and the Dominion of Canada was shorn of an
immense territory by the Hudson's Bay Company. These are
marvellous facts and figures of material progress within one
reign, but what is quite as important is the fact that the en-
lightenment, enfranchisement and bettered condition of the
192 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
masses, the growth of civil liberty, of art and culture, have
kept pace with the vast strides in population, trade and wealth.
Newspapers, schools, churches and benevolent societies have
grown as never before, and accomplished practical results as
they grew. Laws have improved, humanity advanced, wages
increased, and the prime necessities of life cheapened, till now
it is the deliberate judgment of the most cautious statisticians
that the British labourer is 30 per cent, better paid, 40 per cent,
better housed, 50 per cent, better clothed, and 150 per cent,
better educated, than he was in the reign of William IV.
Toronto's Loyalty.
Toronto, always foremost in her allegiance to Great Britain,
manifested her loyalty to the young Queen on the occasion of
her Coronation, on the 28th of June, 1838.
The citizens of Toronto, in their expression of joy, joined
heartily in the celebration. Public rejoicings, dinners, speeches,
and fireworks, were the order of the day and evening.
A grand procession of firemen was the principal public
feature, and formed a fine display, being headed by the bands
of the Queen's Rangers and of the Royal Foresters. The fire
engines, drawn by two or four horses, were magnificently
decorated, and mottoes of loyalty were prominently displayed
on flags and banners, amidst which were the names " Victoria,"
in a wreath of Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock, and "British
Supremacy," City of Toronto arms in gold, three gilt lions,
gilt Irish harp, and the motto of the City of Toronto in gold —
" Industry, Intelligence, Integrity."
Dominion of Canada.
From the Atlantic to the Pacific, in hamlet and village, city
and town, whether the inhabitants were English, Irish, Scotch,
French, German, Indian or Ethiopian, all united as Canadians
to honor their Queen, and enjoy a hearty celebration of Her
Majesty's Jubilee.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 193
Celebration in Toronto.
The most enduring monument to commemorate the great
event will be the erection of a new hospital for sick children,
for which the citizens have voted the sum of $20,000.
The Jubilee celebrations were inaugurated by a Military
Church Parade, on the 19th of June, when a Thanksgiving
service was held in St. James' Cathedral. The Bishop of
Toronto and several leading clergymen officiated. The troops,
which marched to the church headed by their bands, consisted
of the Governor-General's Body Guard, Toronto Garrison Artil-
lery, members and ex-members of the Queen's Own Rifles,
Tenth Royal Grenadiers, and Army and Navy Pensioners.
The service, which was most appropriate, was rendered unusu-
ally attractive by the addition of the services of the band of
the " Queen's Own " to the musical programme. Major-General
Sir Frederick Middleton and Colonel Gzowski, A.D.C., were
present in the congregation. The sermon was preached by the
Rev. Dr. O'Meara.
The Jubilee celebration was observed by religious services in
the other churches on the same day, all of which were intensely
interesting and fervent.
JUBILEE PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING SERVICES.
While no language could portray, or pen describe, the
emotions which thrilled and vibrated in the hearts of the
millions of Queen Victoria's subjects in all parts of the world,
as in ode and anthem their voices joined in loud and harmonious
acclaim in expressing the sentiments contained in " God Save
the Queen," and with the swelling notes of the organ, now
melted to tears and again lifted in rapture to the very gate of
heaven, they gave expression to their feelings of gratitude and
love for all the blessings enjoyed under the beneficent rule of
our Empress-Queen ; yet if it were possible to collect and publish
the sermons and addresses of ministers and laymen of all
denominations, "distinct as the billows, yet one as the sea," who,
in tens of thousands of churches in all parts of the world, on
194 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the 19th and 21st of June, 1887, expatiated on the theme of
the Victorian age, comprehending all its vast and mighty
interests, the personal goodness and virtues of the Queen, the
purity of her court, the example of domestic love with its
world- wide influence on society, the development of art, science,
trade and commerce, the spread of civilization and education,
the advance of literature, the origination of numberless benevo-
lent and religious institutions, and the general advancement
and present grandeur of the British Empire during the past
fifty years, they would form a volume such as the world has
never seen, and such a memento of the grand Jubilee as would
eclipse all former histories of nations or monarchs since the
world began.
The appointment of the 30th June and 1st July for the
Jubilee celebration proved to be both appropriate and success-
ful, combining the usual Dominion Day rejoicings with the
anniversary of the Queen's accession. The principal feature of
the first day's proceedings was a grand procession of nearly
12,000 children from the public schools, which was witnessed!
by immense crowds of 'the citizens, and was a sight of which
any city the size of Toronto might well be proud. Nearly every
child wore a Jubilee medal or badge, while flags and banners
were plentifully displayed.
JUBILEE SERVICE IN THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH.
A grand united religious and musical service, in which all the
Evangelical Churches were represented, was the crowning event
of the 30th June. The magnificent edifice was crowded to
overflowing, and was beautifully decorated with flags, plants
and flowers. The musical portion of the service was the chief
attraction, the selections being of the most appropriate and
loyal character, and were quite as eloquent and even more in-
spiring than were the beautiful addresses delivered by the
speakers. A large number of distinguished gentlemen occupied
the platform, amongst whom were the Hon. Sir Alexander
Campbell, the newly appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario;
Hon. 0. Mowat, Premier ; and W. H. Howland, Esq., Mayor,
, TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 195
also prominent clergymen of all denominations, while in the
body of the church were members of the City Council, and
representatives of the various National and Benevolent Societies,
all moved by the same spirit of enthusiasm, and joining with the
choir of nearly 200 voices in the music set apart for the audience,
with " glad hearts and voices," to swell the general harmony.
The service commenced with Mr. Torrington's performance on
the organ of Gounod's March Cortege, which was followed by the
singing of " God Save the Queen," by the vast audience. The
effect of this inspiring hymn, when joined in by thousands of
voices was most thrilling. The other selections were chiefly
the same as given in Westminster Abbey, including Dr. Bridge's
Jubilee Ode and Anthem. The addresses were practical,
enthusiastic and eloquent, but above all breathed the spirit of
true and genuine loyalty throughout.
The closing song and chorus were composed by Mr. F. H.
Torrington, and were sung with great spirit and feeling :
Old England calls upon her sons
To honor England's Queen ;
Her sons respond, and daughters too,
To keep her memory green.
With loyal hearts and ready hands
The Empire's children stand,
Prepared to do, prepared to die 1
For Queen and native land.
\
CHORUS.
Victoria ! Our Queen beloved,
With loyal heart and hand,
Thy colonies and fatherland
United by thee stand.
For fifty years our country's flag
Hath borne o'er earth and main,
The name of Empress, Queen belov'd,
With neither spot nor stain.
Long may it bear yictoria's name,
Long o'er us may she reign,
And for our Empire broad and grand
May she new honor gain.
196 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Upon our Queen, our Country, Flag,
God's blessing ever rest,
With peace and plenty everywhere,
Her people's homes be blest.
God save the Queen, her people pray,
From hearts sincere and free ; .
God save our lov'd Victoria,
And crown her Jubilee.
AT THE SYNAGOGUE.
The services held by the Jewish residents were remarkable
for their intense devotion to the person and character of Queen
Victoria. The beautiful and appropriate prayers, the music
and eloquent sermon by Rabbi Phillips, were all expressive of
the reverence in which Her Majesty is held by the Jewish
people throughout the world. He alluded in thrilling tones to
the flag of England, which lent its protection to the Jew as well
as the Gentile. The Jewish merchant kings have found guar-
dianship beneath its folds, and Jewish legislators had found
honored places in the Imperial courts. God had been gracious
unto His chosen people and provided them with a protectress
in their well-beloved Queen. At the conclusion of the discourse
the ark was opened and prayers were offered for Her Majesty.
The choir sang a number of Psalms in the original tongue, and
the service concluded with the National Anthem in English.
Dominion Day, 1887.
The grand event so long anticipated was one to be long
remembered as perhaps the most remarkable and the most
thoroughly delightful day in the history of Toronto. The
clanging of bells all over the city at 11 a.m. announced to the
150,000 people of Toronto that the demonstration in honor of
Her Majesty's Jubilee, in the shape of a procession, had started
toward the Exhibition Grounds. The route was thronged with
immense crowds of spectators, who cheered heartily as the
various organizations appeared. The road was kept clear by a
detachment of mounted police, after which came the Mayor and
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. ^ 197
Aldermen in carriages; following them were the Trustees of
the Public and Separate Schools, the Industrial Exhibition
Trustees, and Board of the Public Library ; then came the fol-
lowing societies, military corps and organizations in the order
named, bands, banners and flags being interspersed in regular
order : — Retired Officers, Army, Navy and Militia, in uniform ;
Veterans, Army and Navy ; Veterans, Volunteers ; Governor-
General's Body Guard, Toronto Field Battery, Garrison Artillery,
Queen's Own Rifles, Tenth Royal Grenadiers, Irish Protestant
Benevolent Society, and Sons of Ireland, Sons of Canada, St.
David's Society, Sons of England, St. George's Society, Young
Men's Protestant Benevolent Association, Orangemen, Foresters,
Knights of Pythias, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Man-
chester Unity (Oddfellows), Knights of the Maccabees, Peter
Ogden Lodge (Oddfellows), Toronto Butcher's Association and
the Toronto Fire Brigade.
The appearance of the procession was very fine, and took an
hour to pass one point. Had the trades of the city joined in,
the length would have been immensely extended, but they had
reserved their procession for Exhibition week. At the grounds
loyal and patriotic speeches were made by Mayor Howland,
Hon. 0. Mowat, the Pemier of Ontario, and others ; altogether
the arrangements for the full enjoyment of the day were most
successfully carried out, and added another to the long list of
the exhibitions of Toronto's loyalty.
i
Celebration in London.
Of the sixteen reigning sovereigns of the present time, leaving
out the Queen herself, and including the President of the
United States and Pope Leo, four were actually present, and all
the others were represented on this glorious occasion. In the
historic Abbey of Westminster, built by King Edward the
Confessor, which, more than 800 years ago, Pope Nicholas II.
ordained to be the place of enthronement for the monarchs of
England, whose walls are hallowed by monuments to all whom
England holds great — kings, statesmen, heroes, philanthropists
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 199
and poets — the Queen, surrounded by her children, her grand-
children, and her great-grandchildren, returned thanks to the
Almighty for her fifty years of reign. To witness this act of
homage to the Divine power there came kings, princes, and
potentates, and representatives from every nation in the world.
Never in the history of England has so proud a sight been seen.
There were Peers of the Realm, the Commons, High Officers of
State ; India furnished her princes, Canada and Australia and
all the Colonies sent men who have sustained the dignity of
the Crown in these distant lands. But hark ! the benediction
is pronounced, the choir sends up the final song of praise and
triumph, its echoes die away in the groined roof of the Abbey ;
the great portals open, the brilliant procession files down the
nave, issues forth, and wends its way back to the Palace. At
this moment the lonely splendor of the crown vanishes. The
reward of fifty years of beneficent reign has come. As the
Queen passes the crown shines out in all its glory, but no longer
alone, for it is illumined by the upturned faces of thousands
and tens of thousands and millions of her grateful people, as
they shout with one heart and one voice, " Long live the Queen."
Jubilee Choral Concert.
Dr. Mackenzie's "Ode," set to music by Mr. Bennett, was
given at the Crystal Palace on the 24th of June, by 3,500 per-
formers and celebrated soloists, before an immense audience,
Madame Albani, an artiste of whom Canada may well feel
proud, being the principal soprano singer, and was triumphantly
successful. The " Ode " opens with a full chorus :
" For fifty years our Queen, Victoria, hail ! "
Wild clanging bells and thund'rous cannon
Shook the air and made it quiver
From Dee to Tamar, Thames to Shannon.
0 Queen, the people of thine homelands greet thee,
One in impulse, one in heart,
Hushed are all discordant wranglings,
Foemen stern now cease their j anglings,
Sword and shield are laid apart !
O Queen, in harmony thy lieges meet thee !
200 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Sons of the Dominion
See, they lead the way 1
From where Atlantic surges,
Pacific wavelets, play,
From storied town and riverside,
From mountain and from plain,
An ancient throne their rallying-point,
" God save the Queen ! " their strain
Come now from Austral lands,
Up from the under-world ;
- Firm hearts and willing hands,
Wide is their flag unfurled !
JIark, their stentorian cheer,
Heard once in deadly fight,
Once when for cause held dear
Brave souls that knew no fear
Struck home for Britain's might.
And India's dusky sons pass on
In glittering array,
The last and greatest tribute laid
Before the throne this day.
More than crown of monarch precious
That which now thy people give thee,
Flower-entwined, made of blossoms
Gather'd in the beauteous garden
Where forever bloom scent-laden
Words and deeds of purest nature.
Loving daughter, wife devoted,
Tender parent, friend so faithful,
Ever with the stricken grieving,
Ever with the glad rejoicing,
Lo, on this great day we crown thee,
Queen of all our hearts, Victoria !
Lord of life and light and glory,
God of our world-empire's story,
Low we bow before Thy throne,
Praise is Thine, and Thine alone.
King of kings, protect this nation.
Lord of lords, be our salvation
In the stress of trouble's day.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO" 1892. 201
O Most High, on Thee relying,
Now and ever ill defying,
We securely rest for aye !
Now, in one heartfelt bond of love
For her who wields our Empire's power,
Now, on this day of Jubilee,
Now, in this glad and solemn hour
Let the prayerful anthem rise
High and higher to the skies.
As a climax, the author's new verse, which was added to the
National Anthem, was given with all the force of choir, organ,
orchestra, and the distant booming of cannon, which were fired
by electricity from the conductor's desk.
The composer succeeded in infusing local coloring into each
section represented in his composition. The arrival of the
Canadians is indicated by the imitation of sleigh bells, and so
with the other divisions of the Colonies, the music being
adapted to each. The new v?erse added to the National Anthem
is as follows :
For her we thank Thee, Lord,
And now, in glad accord,
Thy goodness praise.
Strong Thy defence and sure,
Keep her from harm secure,
So may Thy love endure
Through all her days.
The Imperial Institute.
As the outcome of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition, and
at the same time the most enduring memorial of the Queen's
Jubilee, the Imperial Institute has become an important factor
among the institutions of the empire.
A sum of £310,000 has been raised, exclusive of the contri-
butions from India, and the building is now approaching com-
pletion. By the charter the Corporation is bound to establish
an endowment fund of £140,000.
Thanks to the energy displayed by the Prince of Wales, and
202 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the zeal with which his efforts have been seconded, the Im-
perial Institute has been launched in a manner which will go
a long way to assure its ultimate success. The Imperial Insti-
tute is intended to illustrate the material advances of the
empire, to afford means of comparison with what is done by
other countries, to establish means of obtaining commercial
information, to further the advancement of trades and handi-
crafts, by special exhibitions and otherwise, and to promote
technical education, and the industrial arts and sciences. It is
intended to be representative, not merely of what has been
done throughout the empire, but of what is doing and is about
to be done.
In this Institute the Dominion will have an opportunity of
displaying her resources and progress in every department,
and by a perpetual display, although the exhibits may be
changed from time to time, the productions of Canada will be
constantly under the inspection of visitors from every part of
the world, and it may confidently be expected that in the
future, as in the past, Toronto will hold a conspicuous place,
and that her exhibits will attract the attention and excite the
admiration of millions of people.
The Colonial Ministers have been expressing their opinion
as to the wisdom of extending the Queen's title so as to cover
the colonies. The Marquis of Lorne approves of the title of
" Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen of Canada, Austra-
lasia, South Africa, of the Colonies and Dependencies, and
Empress of India."
Governors-General of Canada since 1847.
Earl of Elgin, Sir Edmund Head, Lord Monck, Sir John
Young (Lord Lisgar), Earl of Dufferin, Marquis of Lorne, Marquis
of Lansdowne, and Lord Stanley, of Preston.
Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario.
Major-General Stisted, Sir W. P. Rowland, Hon. John Craw-
ford, Hon. D. A. Macdonald, Hon. John Beverley Robinson, and
Hon. Alexander Campbell.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 203
Toronto a Musical City.
High on the shore sate the great god Pan,
While turbidly flowed the river,
And hacked and hewed as a great god can,
With his hard bleak steel, at the patient reed,
Till there was not a sign of a leaf, indeed,
To prove it fresh from the river.
He cut it short, did the great god Pan, —
How tall it stood in the river !
Then drew the pith like the heart of a man,
Steadily from the outside ring,
Then notched the poor, dry, empty thing,
In holes, as he sate by the river.
11 This is the way," laughed the great god Pan,~
Laughed while he sate by the river, —
" The only way, since gods began
To make sweet music, they could succeed/'
Then dropping his mouth to a hole in the reed,
.He blew, in power, by the river.
Sweet, sweet, sweet, O Pan !
Piercing sweet by the river,
Blinding sweet, O great god Pan !
The sun on the hill forgot to die,
And the lilies revived, and the dragon-fly
Came back to dream on the river.
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
Prior to the period when the present reminiscences commence
there was little to note of the musical history of Toronto. The
writer is indebted to the Toronto Mail for some account pre-
vious to 1847.
It appears by the earliest records, that as far back as 1818
the sole instrumental artist of Toronto was a Mr. Maxwell,
distinguished "for his quiet manner, for the shade over one
eye, and for his homely skill on the violin."
With military music the townspeople were familiarized by
the occasional performances of the regimental bands which
204 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
were stationed here from time to time. The ecclesiatical
music was entirely destitute of organs or melodeons.
At the Church of St. James, a Mr. Hetherington officiated as
clerk, and his mode of procedure was to announce the psalm or
hymn, give out the tune on the bassoon, and then accompany
the vocalists present with original and often grotesque improvi-
sations on that instrument. At one time a choir was formed
at this church with a bass viol, clarionet and bassoon as the
accompanying instruments. The music was almost entirely
confined to the churches that then existed ; the choirs being
accompanied by flutes, violins, violoncellos, and occasionally a
trombone. It is said that Mr. James Baxter organized and led
a choir at the old Methodist church on King Street, near the
present site of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, in 1831.
The first impetus of a permanent character given to music
was through the services of the late Mr. John Ellis and Dr.
McCaul ; the former distinguished by his performance on the
violoncello, with which Toronto audiences were favored gratui-
tously for many years, and the latter on the piano, showing
himself to be an accomplished musician as well as composer.
For many years Dr. McCaul was the patron of every enter-
prise which contributed to the pleasure and advantage of the
citizens. No meeting for any object of a literary, benevolent,
or pleasurable character was considered complete without the
presidency of Dr. McCaul, and whenever he took the lead his
felicitous remarks, always mingled with real Irish humor, in-
variably resulted in success.
Through the influence and efforts of Dr. McCaul, selections
from the oratorios were first given in 1845, in the Parliament
Buildings. Monsieur Bley, a talented violinist, was brought
over from New York to conduct, and with him were engaged
Miss Andrews, Miss Northrall, and Mr. Miller, as principal
vocalists. Two concerts were given, which were very suc-
cessful and excited great enthusiasm. Dr.' McCaul presided at
the piano, and the Toronto Mail says, " was received with a
1 >urst of applause on making his appearance on the platform."
The result of this new venture led to the inception of the idea
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 205
of establishing a Philharmonic Society. Monsieur Bley, having
been induced to remain in Toronto, was appointed conductor of
the new organization, which started in 1846. Dr. McCaul was
the President and Mr. Ellis the instrumental manager.
The Society gave a concert in the University Hall, Parlia-
ment Buildings, on St. George's Day, April 23rd, 1847, a few
days after the writer's arrival in the city, for the benefit of the
Irish and Scotch relief funds. Among the vocalists were Mr.
J. D. Humphreys, who became Toronto's favorite tenor, Mrs.
Searle and Messrs. Ambrose and Barren.
After a short stay in Toronto Monsieur Bley returned to
France, and the Society was started afresh in 1848, with Dr.
Strathy as vocal conductor and pianist, and Mr. Schallehn as
" chef d'attaque " of the orchestra.
The first concert was given in the City Hall on the 28th of
December, 1849, which created quite an excitement ; some of
the most difficult morceaux of the great masters were given
with fair success. The second of these concerts was given in
the Temperance Hall, on the 31st of January, 1850, under the
patronage of the Earl and Countess of Elgin. Mr. Schallehn
was a clever clarionet player, and was bandmaster of the 71st
Regiment.
In 1851 the Toronto Vocal Music Society was formed in the
room of the old Philharmonic. Dr. McCaul was the President,
the late Chief-Justice Draper, Vice-President, and Dr. Clarke,
Conductor. At the first of the reunions of this Society, in May
of that year, the solo vocalists were Miss Davis (afterwards
Mrs. F. Thomas), and Miss Harris ; among the choral numbers
given was Handel's "Hailstone Chorus," from " Israel in Egypt."
These meetings culminated in a public concert in the following
December. The programme embraced selections from the
works of Handel, , Weber, Rossini and Mendelssohn. The
soloists were Miss Davis, Mr. Hecht, baritone, and Mr. T. Cooper,
tenor.
The second concert was given in June, 1852, in the St. Law-
rence Hall, which had just been opened. This concert was
given in commemoration of Moore, the poet. Mr. Paige, tenor,
206 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
and Miss Paige, soprano, made their appearance and became
great favorites with the public.
After this a new organization was formed under the old title
of the Philharmonic Society. Dr. McCaul was elected Presi-
dent ; Mr. Fred. Widder, vocal manager ; Prof. Croft, instru-
mental manager ; Da Clarke, conductor ; and Mr. F. Griebel,
leader of the orchestra.
Mr. Griebel, who came to Toronto with the Jenny Lind con-
cert troupe, was one of the greatest violinists ever resident in
the city.
The first open meeting of this Philharmonic Society was held
on the 25th of April, 1854, in the University Hall, Parliament
Buildings. On the programme was a symphony of Beethoven's,
the " Hallelujah Chorus " from the "Mount of Olives," a cornet
solo from Mr. Harkness (bandmaster), the overture to " L'ltali-
ana," and a violin solo, " The dying scene," from " Lucia," by
Herr Griebel.
At the third meeting, Herr Griebel played De Beriot's first
concerto for violin, and one of Paganini's concert solos. The
Chorus sang Handel's " Fixed in his everlasting seat."
The Society next figured at a concert in aid of the patriotic
fund of the Crimean War sufferers, in the St. Lawrence Hall,
February, 1855. The programme included the "Funeral
March," by Beethoven ; piano solo, Mr. Haycraf t ; song, " Oh.
God, preserve the mourners," Miss Davis ; solo and chorus, "Qui
tollis," Mr. Hecht ; fantasia, on the " Cujus animam," Mr. Hay-
ter ; song, " Ruth," Mrs. Beverley Robinson ; song, " I would be
a soldier," Mr. L. W. Smith ; piano and violin duo on " William
Tell," Messrs. Griebel and Haycraft ; " Heroes of the Crimea,"
Mr. Humphreys ; piano solo, " La Violette," Mr. Klophel ; song,
" The sea is Merry England's," Mr. Barren (then late Principal
of the U. C. College). This concert excited unbounded en-
thusiasm, and was very successful.
The patronage of music lovers was at this time diverted from
the society by the introduction of subscription concerts given
by Mr. and Miss Paige. This resulted in the fall of the Phil-
harmonic Society, and musical matters were comparatively
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 207
neglected till the arrival of Mr. John Carter, who accepted the
post of organist at the Cathedral Church of St. James, then
newly built. Mr. Carter arrived in Toronto in October, 1856,
and the aspect of the musical world of Toronto was soon com-
pletely changed.
Mr. Carter was not long in developing the resident talent, for
in the following year he gave the first oratorio performance
ever given in Upper Canada. The oratorio selected was the
" Messiah," and was given on the 17th December, 1857.
The work was accomplished in twelve weeks, and such was
the enthusiasm created, that the concert room was filled to the
doors.
Mr. Carter was assisted by Herr Griebel, and Messrs. Noverre,
Maul, Schmidt, and Martin Lazare, amongst the instrumental-
ists, and by Miss Davis, Miss Kemp (afterwards Mrs. Cobban),
Miss Robinson, Mrs. Poetter, and Mrs. Scott. Among the
vocalists were Messrs. Jacob Wright, Sugden, Barron, C. Grasett,
Briscoe, Lang, James Baxter, and F. Roche.
"Judas Maccabeus " was performed in 1858, under the direc-
tion of Rev. Mr. Onions, who started an opposition scheme
which divided musical society into two parties, known as the
Onionites and the Carterites. The feud, however, was of rather
an amicable nature.
The Rev. Mr. Onions had Mr. Noverre as leader of the band,
and Mr. G. F. Graham as organist. His vocalists were Mr. and
Mrs. Hickok, Mr. Lindsay, Mrs. Dunlevi, C. J. Martin, Mr.
Humphreys, Mr. John Baxter, the Misses Robinson, Madame
Wookey, Mrs. Hastings, Miss Searle, Mrs. Emerson, and Messrs.
Briscoe, Sugden, and Vial. The band and chorus were adver-
tised as numbering two hundred.
At one of the oratorios, the writer and his party sat near a
gentleman of the legal profession, recently out from London,
who criticised the performance of each vocalist, and during the
performance of one tenor singer, not appreciating his efforts,
he made himself conspicuous by shrugging his shoulders and
screwing up his countenance, at the same time exclaiming
loudly enough to be heard, " Oh, Sims Reeves! "
208 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Having lately heard that celebrated tenor, in Exeter Hall, we
could partly sympathize with his feelings, but not so far as to
lose the enjoyment of the Toronto performance, which was
highly creditable to all concerned.
The rivalry resulted in each party giving the "Creation." In
1861 Mr. Carter formed the "Toronto Musical Union," and Mr.
Onions the " Metropolitan Choral Society," under the direction
of Mr. Martin Lazare, a most able musician. Some of the per-
formances of this gentleman on the piano were truly mar-
vellous, especially " medleys " and " fantasia " with one hand.
In 1863-4 Mr. Carter, as director of the Musical Union, in
connection with the Mechanics' Institute, in the Music Hall
over the present Free Library, gave occasional concerts ; and
among the works produced were the " Messiah," " Judas Mac-
cabeus," the " Creation," the " Lay of the Bell," the " Stabat
Mater," and the operas " II Trovatore," and " Martha."
In 1872 Mr. Robert Marshall, in connection with Mr. Alex.
Mills, undertook to reorganize the Philharmonic Society, and
succeeded in inducing a sufficient number of instrumentalists
and vocalists to combine for this purpose.
Dr. McCaul was appointed President; the veteran Dr. Clarke,
Conductor; Mr. Robert Marshall, Vice-President ; and Mr. John
Hague, Secretary.
The first concert of this new society was given in October,
1872, when the " Messiah " was given in Shaftesbury Hall. The
chorus consisted of twenty-eight sopranos, twenty-six altos,
forty-eight tenors, fifty basses, and eight principals — in all one
hundred and h'f ty.
The orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Marshall, consisted
of twelve violins, three violas, three basses, two double basses,
two flutes, two clarionets, one bassoon, one horn, two trumpets,
and two drums — total thirty.
The solo vocalists were Messrs. J. G. Sheriff, Marriott, Martin,
and Pearson, and Mrs. Grassick, Mrs, Cuthbert, Miss Hillary,
Miss Clarke, and Miss Thomas.
The pianist was Mr. H. G. Collins. This was the last occa-
sion on which Dr. Clarke conducted at an oratorio.
F. H. TORRINGTON, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 209
Mr. Marshall wielded the baton until the arrival of Mr.
Torrington in 1873. This event marked a new epoch in the
musical history of Toronto.
F. H. TORRINGTON.
Mr. Torrington first saw the light in October, 1837, the place
of his birth being Dudley, Worcestershire, England. He com-
menced playing the violin when seven years of age, and evinc-
ing marked ability was placed by his parents under the care
•of competent musical instructors at Birmingham, who taught
him the piano, violin, organ, and harmony. He afterwards
received his musical training as Cathedral organist, choir-
master, pianist, etc., under James Fitzgerald, of Kidderminster
(pupil of Dr. Gorge, Bristol), under whom he was articled for
four years. As violinist he was a pupil of Geo. Hayward,
Birmingham. In 1853, he became organist and choirmaster
of St. Ann's Church, Bewdley. In 1854, Mr. Torrington was
elected a member of the London Society of Sciences, Literature
and Arts, for which he has a diploma. After a successful career
in England he came to Canada, and was engaged in Montreal
as organist of Great St. James' Street Methodist Church, a post
he held for twelve years. During this period he developed his
musical talent, and worked hard to cultivate public taste for
the best class of music. For a considerable portion of this time
Mr. Torrington was bandmaster of the 25th Regiment, and as
founder and director of various vocal and instrumental societies,
his services as solo organist and violinist were in constant
demand. During a visit to Boston, to take part in the first
great Peace Jubilee, Mr. Torrington was asked by Mr. Gilmore
to take up his residence there, and a short time afterwards was
offered and accepted the position of organist and musical
director at King's Chapel, which position he left for the one
he now holds at the Metropolitan Church, Toronto. During
the period of his residence in Toronto his work speaks for
itself, as, in addition to the palpable improvement in church
and choir music which he .has effected, he has produced with
large chorus and orchestra, through the medium of the Toronto
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 211
Philharmonic Society, the following works of the Great Masters,
many of them heard for the first time in Canada, and some
for the first time on this side of the Atlantic :
Messiah, Elijah, Creation, Lay of the Bell, Fridolin, St. Paul,
Stabat Mater, May, Queen, Hymn of Praise, Walpurgis Night,
Naaman, Fair Ellen March and Chorus (Tannhauser), March
Cortege (Heine de Saba), March and Chorus (Life of the Czar),
Miserere Scene (Trovatore), Mors et Vita, Israel in Egypt,
Spring's Message, Bride of Dunkerron, Rose of Sharon, Judas
Maccabeus, Gypsy Life, The Last Judgment, Acis and Galatea,
Preciosa, Redemption, Rose Maiden, Crusaders.
That Mr. Torrington's fame, so thoroughly established in
America, had reached back to Europe was abundantly shown
during his recent visit to his native land. During Mr. Torring-
ton's visit to Europe he attended the Bayreuth festival, and at
Leipsic he was hospitably entertained by Jadassohn and Martin
Krause. While in London he was invited by Dr. Mackenzie
to attend the Royal Academy of Music at St. James' Hall. He
was also invited to attend a meeting of some of the most emi-
nent English musicians at the College of Organists.
In concluding this sketch we may say that Mr. Torrington's
entire career has been a long record of unbroken success, as
noteworthy as it is deserving.
At present Mr. Torrington occupies the following important
positions : Organist of Metropolitan Church ; Conductor of Phil-
harmonic Society ; Director Toronto College of Music ; Presi-
dent College of Organists ; President Society of Musicians.
TORONTO COLLEGE OF MUSIC.
In September, 1888, the Toronto College of Music, with Mr.
Torrington as musical director, and a large staff of teachers
selected from the most prominent professional musicians,
opened its doors to the public. Instantaneous success attended
the opening, and very soon hundreds of pupils were enrolled.
In order to place the institution on a permanent basis, an asso-
ciation of gentlemen of great prominence was formed into a
212
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
joint stock company, having, in co-operation with Mr. Torring-
ton, as its board of directors, George Gooderham, J. EL Kerr.
Q.C., Prof. James Loudon, M.A., William Macdonald, M.A.,
T. G. Blackstock and K. Torrington.
The Toronto College of Music being now an assured success
for all time, it was affiliated with the University of Toronto,
the most celebrated seat of learning in the Dominion, and
TORONTO COLLEGE OF MUSIC.
possessing powers of granting degrees in music (Mus. Bac. and
Mus. Doc.). This step placed the college in the most complete
point of organization possible.
By virtue of the strength of its faculty, the possession of a
building with music halls, organ and all other necessary appli-
ances, ample capital, a vigorous and influential board of
directors, a large orchestra (sixty members), and facilities for
securing the highest degrees in music, the Toronto College of
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892.
Music stands out a leading factor of musical education in
Canada, and may be ranked with the most important institu-
tions of a similar kind in the United States and Europe.
Mr. Torrington made an extended tour through Europe in
the interests of the Toronto College of Music, visiting the
Leipsic Conservatory and Gewanhaus; the Hoch (Joachim)
School of Music, Berlin ; the Wagner Festival at Bayreuth ; the
Royal Academy of Music, London ; the Royal College of Music,
London ; being most cordially received by Dr. Stainer, Oxford
University ; Dr. Mackenzie, Royal Academy ; Dr. Brydge,
Westminster Abbey, and Dr. Turpin, College of Organists.
It was very satisfactory to find that the strongest features
of these various schools of music are incorporated in the scheme
adopted as the basis of the work of the Toronto College of
Music.
JENNY LIND.
The arrival of Jenny Lind, the " Swedish Nightingale," in
America, in 1853, created such a sensation as was never known
in the musical world. The sale of tickets for her first concert
in New York was a great event. The first choice of a seat
being set up for competition, was purchased by Genin, the
Broadway hatter, for five hundred dollars.
On her first appearanoe she carried all hearts by storm, not
for her great beauty, either of face or figure, but the irresistible
charm of her simple and natural manner. Once heard, Jenny
Lind could never be forgotten. Nor was her wonderful gift as
a songstress the only cause of the royal ovations she received
wherever she made her appearance. Everywhere she was
fairly worshipped for her goodness and benevolence.
Although she had hundreds of letters every day asking her for
help from all sorts of applicants, no worthy cause was overlooked.
Her purse was always open to afford relief, and no request to
give her services towards any charitable object was denied.
_TheJoundation of the jr^e^tanJLQrpjianslJgoEfle in this
is due to her kind-hearted benevolence. In New York, espe-
cially, the Jenny Lind mania became so strong that fabulous
214 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
prices were paid for anything that might be preserved as a
memento of her visit.
It was said that chambermaids at the hotel sold the combings,
and even stray hairs from her hair-brushes, at large prices, and
so of every article of which she had made use at the table.
Jenny Lind was the first and greatest star artiste Toronto
has ever seen. Her one concert was given in the St. Lawrence
Hall, in the fall of 1853.
Before the time announced, on the sale of tickets at Nord-
heimer's, the window shutters were put up, and the door
strongly barricaded to keep back the crowd and allow appli-
cants to enter in batches. So great was the scramble that
coats were literally torn off men's backs; and to the great
amusement of the crowd, one gentleman, determined to secure
his prize, hoisted a small boy over the heads of the people, and
in this way the boy procured a ticket. The price of admission
was ten shillings, or two dollars.
Those who were present at the concert will remember her
rendering of the simplest and most familiar songs. " Comin'
through the rye," and "John Anderson, my Jo," were given,
although with a slightly foreign accent, with great beauty and
simplicity of expression ; but while the air was so familiar, the
variations, from the lowest to the highest range of the voice,
were such as were never heard in Toronto, and were perfectly
indescribable; and so of all the other numbers on the pro-
gramme.
The following star artists have appeared in Toronto, chiefly
through the influence of Messrs. A. & S. Nordheimer : —
Piccolomini, Mario, Santley, Carlotta Patti, Rudersdorff,
Parepa Kosa, Catharine Hayes, Gary, Lucca, Canissa, Madame
Anna Bishop, Di Murska, Kellogg, Thalberg, Rubinstein, Vieux-
teinps (the king of violinists), Arabella Goddard, Wieniawski,
Sauret, H. C. Cooper, Lichtenberg, Theresa Liebe, Alfred Jaell,
Camilla Urso, Prinne, Lister man, Remenyi, Joseffy, Teresa
Carreno, Brignoli, Nillson, Lehmann, Musin, R-ummell, Wilhelmj,
Fabre, Leopold D'Meyer, Paul Julien, Brega, D'Albert, Sarasate,
Adelina Patti, Albani, Freidhem, and Paderewski.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 215
Among the clubs, the Mendelssohn and Beethoven Quintette,
the Damrosch and Thomas Orchestras, and Gilmore's Band,
have appeared from time to time in Toronto.
MRS. JOHN BEVERLEY ROBINSON AND MRS. J. G. BEARD.
Any account of the progress of vocal music in Toronto would
be incomplete without the name of the late Mrs. John Beverley
Robinson, wife of the ex-Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
This gifted and accomplished lady, possessing a fine appear-
ance and exquisite voice, was ever ready to respond to the call
of the citizens on every occasion, on behalf of any charitable or
benevolent enterprise, and her singing always elicited the most
hearty applause. The amounts raised by Mrs. Robinson's
services for these noble objects were very large, amounting to
many thousands of dollars ; one excellent institution here, " The /T
Home for Incurables." having, in 1874, received the sum of—
$2,000, the result of one of her charitable concerts. Only a
comparatively small number of citizens know how much they
are indebted to this lady for the existence of some of the insti-
tutions of our city.
Mrs. J. G. Beard also contributed largely to the same objects,
especially the Girls' Home. Her services as leading soprano in
the choir of St. James' Cathedral, as well as at all such concerts
as have been alluded to, are well known to many in Toronto.
As amateurs these ladies have never been surpassed, and, even
by the great artists who have visited the city, seldom excelled.
THE MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
To Mr. Torrington is due the conception of establishing a
series of musical festivals in Toronto, after the model of those
given in England and the United States, and the first of these,
which took place on the loth, 16th and 17th of June, 1886,
will be memorable in the musical history of Toronto. The
first concert consisted of the opening chorus of God Save the
Queen, followed by Gounod's sacred trilogy, " Mors et Yita ; "
the second was a miscellaneous concert ; the third was Handel's
216 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
sublime oratorio of " Israel in Egypt," and the fourth the
Children's Jubilee and miscellaneous concert, in which 1,200
children took part.
The solo performers were as follows : Soprano, Fraulein Lilli
Lehmann, Mrs. E. Aline Osgood, Mrs. Gertrude Luther ; con-
tralto, Miss Agnes Huntington; tenor, Mr. Albert L. King;
baritone, Mr. Max Heinrich ; bass, Mr. D. M. Babcock ; organ,
Mr. Frederic Archer; piano, Mr. Otto Bendix; harp, Mme.
Josephine Chatterton ; violin, Herr Henri Jacobsen.
The festival chorus comprised 1,000 voices, and the orchestra
100 performers. Mr. F. H. Torrington was the musical director.
Whatever Mr. Torrington's ambition may be in the future,
unless some grander compositions appear than Gounod's " Mors
et Vita/' and Handel's "Israel in Egypt," he can expect no
greater success than he has already achieved in the perform-
ance of these great works.
The interpretation of the conception of these great composers>
and the thorough execution of their great works, is only second
to the compositions themselves, and in the Toronto festival, the
masterly manner in which, in every part of light and shade,
whether of vocalization or instrumentation, Mr. Torrington ren-
dered every word and note in the programme, has placed him
in the front rank of musicians.
To sum up in one word, the whole festival was perfect in all
its parts, and the delighted audiences who had the opportunity
of listening will look forward to a repetition of the musical
feast with confident anticipation.
The best building the city afforded, having been utilized,
proved to be most adequate to the occasion. While it would be
most desirable that a music hall could be built to accommodate
double the number which attended the festival concerts, yet,
as there is a limit to the powers of the human voice and ear,
the whole advantage was on the side of the building used for
these concerts, and of both performers and listeners who were
present. It is well known that at the Crystal Palace and other
large places, no matter what the number of the performers may
be, the outside rim of the 20,000 people who attend do not
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 217
enjoy the music, from the fact that it is impossible to hear at
such a distance.
Toronto could afford to have a hall sufficient to accommodate
six thousand people, and at prices within the reach of all ; and
chorus and orchestra might then be increased in a correspond-
ing degree, without loss of the general effect so delightful on
the late occasion.
The officers of the Musical Festival Association, who so ably
carried out the arrangements, were as follows : Geo. Gooderham,
Honorary President ; S. Nordheimer, President ; J. B. Boustead,
J. Herbert Mason, P. Jacobi, Vice-Presidents ; James McGee,
Treasurer; Jas. C. McGee, Assistant Treasurer; John Earls,
Honorary Secretary ; Edmond L. Roberts, Secretary ; A. L.
Ebbels, Recording Secretary ; Charles Reiddy, Librarian.
The festival was successful financially as well as artisticallyr
and reflects the highest credit on all concerned.
The musical festival orchestra comprised twenty first violins,
fourteen second violins, ten violas, ten cellos, ten double basses,
two flutes, one piccolo, two clarionets, two oboes, two bassoons,
four horns, six cornets, three trombones, two tubas, kettle
drums, big drums, side-drums, cymbals, triangle and gong.
At the Children's Jubilee a most interesting programme was
successfully carried out, several of the celebrated soloists taking
part. The children, however, were the chief attraction. When
their youthful voices, with pleasing freshness and simplicity,
struck the chorus " Hark to the Rolling Drum," the vast assem-
blage listened with marked attention, and many a father and
mother looked with pride upon their children, whose appear-
ance and behavior reflected much credit on the city.
Mr. Torrington, taking the place of Mr. Schuch, next con-
ducted them in singing the national song of his own composition,
entitled " Canada," the first verse of which runs : —
0 Canada, fair Canada !
Name ever dear to me ;
A home for all who leave the shores
Beyond the bright, blue sea.
We love our land, though young it be,
15
218 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Its sunshine and its storms,
Its faces fair, and hearts sincere,
Affections strong and warm.
We love our land,
We love our flag,
Beyond all others seen ;
God prosper our Dominion fair,
Our country and our Queen.
At a particular part in the closing verse each child suddenly
produced a small Union Jack and waved it in the air. The
beautiful sight of 1,200 flags, together with the patriotic senti-
ment and excellent singing of the song, created the greatest
enthusiasm, and the last verse had to be repeated.
It was a pretty sight to see 2,400 little hands waving in the
air in the action songs, led by Mrs. J. L. Hughes, in illustration
of the words being sung at the same time. At the close of the
concert the entire chorus joined in God Save the Queen.
Toronto a Literary City.
Were Toronto to be judged by the number of people who
read the party political articles in the daily papers, it would
rank high in the scale of literature, and if the demand for
works of fiction were a proof of literary taste, then our Public
Library and its branches would bear testimony that the
citizens of Toronto were a truly intellectual people ; but while
these tests may be applied to indicate the taste of the majority,
and would certainly show the tendency to be in the line of both
of these habits, it is a pleasing fact that a large number culti-
vate a taste for literature for its own sake, and for the
improvement of their minds.
The number of non-political newspapers, and of those repre-
senting the various religious denominations, is as great as in
any other city of its population. The number of book stores
and publishing houses, together with the large amount of books
imported throughout the year, is a good indication of .the extent
of the private libraries which exist in the city and of the num-
ber of their readers.
THE MAIL BUILDING, KING ST. WEST, TORONTO
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. . 219
It cannot be said that, in proportion to the population,
there is a greater taste for literature than in previous years.
Although there was no literary institution of a popular char-
acter, except the Mechanics' Institute, that was always well
patronized, and the average intelligence of the people of Toronto
was quite equal to what it " is at the present time, at least in
book literature. While efforts were made to encourage a taste
for reading generally, especial attention was given by the man-
agers of the Mechanics' Institute to impart technical knowledge.
Nor was the cultivation of the faculties for appreciating the
beautiful in art, thought and feeling, as well as for enjoying
the truths of physical science, neglected.
That elegant and reflective literature which tends to
moralize, to soften and adorn the life and soul of man, and the
belles lettres, which operate for the advancement of the mental
condition of the middle and humbler classes of society, might
now as well as then hold a higher place in public estima-
tion, and with advantage be more generally called into
practical requisition. The Canadian Institute, which now ranks
so high as a literary and scientific institution, did not come into
existence till 1849, since which time it has done much in the
higher sphere of literature, and takes the highest rank amongst
Canadian literary societies.
Amongst the literati of Toronto may be named Sir Daniel
Wilson, Drs. Scadding, Loudon, Hodgins, and Withrow, and
Professor Goldwin Smith. The Week newspaper holds a place
between the ordinary newspaper and the magazine ; the latter
being represented by only one, The Methodist Magazine, which
is alike creditable to the publishers, the contributors, to Toronto
and the Dominion.
It is an interesting question, whether the taste for solid read-
ing is more cultivated amongst the young men of 1892 than
those of 1847 and whether their general intelligence is greater,
The number of amusements and attractions of various kinds
which Toronto now affords may have a tendency to reduce the
hours spent in study, and thereby prevent the acquisition of
knowledge which, in the absence of these surroundings, made
220 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the old Mechanics' Institute itself the leading attraction for
young men.
It cannot be denied that the newspaper is the great educator
of the nineteenth century, and that no literary power can com-
pare with it.
Rev. Dr. Talmage says : " The newspaper is the " flying roll "
of the Apocalypse. It is book, pulpit and platform, all in one.
And there is not an interest, religious, literary, commercial,
scientifical, agricultural or mechanical, that is not within its
grasp. All our churches, schools, colleges, asylums, and
art galleries feel the quaking of the printing press. The vast
majority of citizens do not read books.
"How many treatises on constitutional law, or political
economy, or works of science are read ? How many elaborate
poems or books of travels ? How much of Boyle or De
Tocqueville, Xenophon, Herodotus, or Percevil ? Whence,
then, this intelligence and the capacity to talk about themes,
secular and religious — the acquaintance with science and art
— the power to appreciate the beautiful and the grand ?
" Next to the Bible, the newspaper — swift-winged, and every-
where present, flying over fences, shoved under the door, tossed
into counting-houses, laid on the work bench, read by all —
white and black, German, Irishman, Spaniard, American, old
and young, good and bad, sick and well, before breakfast and
after tea, Monday morning, Saturday night, Sunday and week-
day. The man who neither reads nor takes a newspaper is a
curiosity."
The "Globe."
The Globe is the organ of the present Opposition, and is con-
ducted with great literary ability and business enterprise. It
contains its own history of half a century.
From 1847 to the time of his death, the writer had a good
opportunity of observing the career of the late Hon. George
Brown. While the principle of de mortuis, nil nisi bonum was
not adhered to in his paper, it is only just to say of himself,
when he is gone, that, apart from politics, he was a man highly
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 223
respected for every generous and noble quality. He was genial
and pleasant in manner, honorable in his dealings, kind and
benevolent in disposition.
In the days when business men were thrown together in the
Montreal steamers for a couple of days at a time, the writer has
spent pleasant hours in his company, in conversation and chess
playing, a game in which he excelled.
The glory of his career culminated in his coalescence with
Hon. John A. Macdonald and the other gentlemen who founded
the Confederacy, and the painting now opposite the main en-
trance to the Parliament Buildings, in commemoration of the
great event, and in which the Hon. George Brown is one of the
most prominent figures, will perpetuate his name even more than
the monument to his memory in the Queen's Park in Toronto.
The extension of Victoria Street into King necessitated the
removal to the corner of Yonge and Melinda Streets. The
present building is splendidly appointed and fitted up with all
modern improvements as to heating and lighting, with elevators
and every convenience for business.
The "Christian Guardian" and Methodist Book
and Publishing House.
The Christian Guardian, the chief paper of the Methodist
Church in Canada for many years, and now the sole organ of
United Methodism in Ontario, Quebec, the Northwest, and
British Columbia, was started in the fall of 1829. Its first
editor was the late Dr. Egerton Ryerson. In 1879 the present
editor, Dr. Dewart, issued a jubilee number, for which Dr.
Ryerson wrote an article, giving an account of the origin of the
paper. He took the long and toilful journey to New York to
obtain printing material, spending six days and nights between
Lewiston and New York. The first number of the paper was
published on November 22nd, 1829.
During these early years the Guardian did valiant battle
for equal religious rights and privileges. Dr. Ryerson was editor
for nearly nine years with some breaks, which were filled by
Revs. James Richardson, Franklin Metcalf, and Ephraim Evans.
224 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
In the earlier years of the Guardian, before the establishment
of the political papers that have since become famous, it was a
leading organ of public opinion in a greater degree than since it
has become a more strictly religious paper. During its whole
course it has vigorously contended for all moral and social
reforms, as well as defended the doctrines and usages of
Methodism. Of the editors which succeeded those already
named the Rev. Jonathan Scott was in office four years ; the
Rev. Geo. F. Playter, two years ; the Rev. G. R. Sanderson, five
years ; the Rev. James Spencer, nine years ; the Rev. Dr. Jeffers,
nine years ; the Rev. Dr. Dewart, at the present date (1892),
has been 'in office twenty-three years.
The Methodist Book Room was begun at the same time as
the publication of the Guardian. The publication office was
on " March Street, north of the new court-house." It now
occupies the site and part of the building of Old Richmond
Street Methodist Church, 29 to 33 Richmond Street West, and
also 30 to 36 Temperance Street, forming a splendid establish-
ment known as Wesley Buildings. At first it was a small book-
store doing a limited business. But it has steadily grown, till
it has become an extensive publishing-house. It probably
publishes a larger number of books and other publications than
any other house in Canada. It gives employment to over one
hundred and fifty hands; and does a great deal to supply
both Methodists and others with wholesome religious literature.
The present Book Steward, Rev. William Briggs, D.D.. has done
much to extend the business.
Free Library.
The good the Free Library is accomplishing in informing and
brightening the lives of large masses of people should make its
operations welcome. The growth of the Toronto Library,
owing to its efficient management, has been steady and onward,
and its future seems bright and assured. The increasing rate
of its book circulation is very marked, and the interest taken
by its promoters is manifested in a practical way by a hand-
some addition to the reference department in the shape of a
TOKONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 227
donation of some 2,000 volumes, the valuable private collection
of Mr. John Hallam, of this city. It may be hoped that others
will follow his example, and multiply the resources and attrac-
tions of the Public Library until it becomes the pride of
Toronto.
The largest private library in the city is that of Professor
Goldwin Smith. The Ontario Parliament Library ranks first
in importance amongst those of a public character, and con-
tains 25,000 volumes. Next comes Osgoode Hall with 20,000
volumes, chiefly on legal subjects. The University Library is
in every way worthy of that splendid institution, and occupies
one of its handsomest rooms.
The Canadian Institute has 4,000 volumes ; Normal School,
5,000 ; Free Library, 38,000 ; Trinity College also possesses a
large library which is steadily increasing. There are seventy-
two newspapers and periodicals published in Toronto. The six
daily papers are the Empire, Globe, Mail, Telegram,, World and
Neius. These are all published every morning, except the
Telegram and News, which continue, as they commenced, as
evening papers. The three first publish evening editions, also
weeklies.
The Manning Arcade
is of the Italian Renaissance style, ornamented with polished
granite pillars, and sculptured emblematic figures, two being
caryatides supporting entablatures on each side, and one male
figure in the centre representing Labor, which add much to the
beauty of the design.
To form a perfect arcade, it will be extended to the north,
and is an ornament to Kinef Street.
Toronto as a Place of Residence.
If the city possesses all the advantages to which reference
has been made, it will be admitted that no element in the con-
stitution of a great city is wanting. The capitalist who would
invest money to advantage can here find a promising field for
228 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
•enterprise. There is also plenty of room for more manufactur-
ing industries.
The man of leisure, with fixed income, may find in Toronto a
delightful home, and live just as his means may allow, even to
the enjoyment of luxury. The mechanic and tradesman can,
by industry and economy, secure a comfortable home on easy
terms, and in Toronto every reasonable wish may be gratified,
and the new settler find a welcome to any class of society
which may be congenial to his taste.
Summer Resorts.
QUEEN'S PARK.
Just west of the Osgoode Hall on Queen Street West will be
found a beautiful avenue of nearly a mile in length. Chestnut
and maple trees flank the carriage drive and pathway, which
in the vista open out upon the Queen's Park. Going north
the intersection of the Yonge Street Avenue is reached, and we
pass from the grateful shade of the long line of chestnuts into
the verduous sunlight of the open Park, one hundred acres in
all, including the University grounds, which have been fenced
. off from the city property. The Park is a favorite resort dur-
ing the hot weather, and contains the University Buildings
and Library, School of Biology, School of Practical Science,
Victoria Methodist University, Observatory (Meteorological
Office), Wycliffe College, Volunteers' and Hon. George Brown's
monuments, and a score of beautiful villas ; it is also the site
selected for the erection of the New Provincial Parliament
Buildings, which are rapidly approaching completion.
EXHIBITION PARK.
These grounds, originally used exclusively by the Industrial
Exhibition Association, have for some time been thrown open
to the public all the year round, except for two weeks in Sep-
tember, during the Exhibition.
Under the superintendence of Mr. Chambers, the Commis-
sioner of Parks, these grounds have assumed a most beautiful
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 229
appearance, being laid out in the most artistic manner as land-
scape gardens, and having a profusion of shrubs and flower-
beds, which increase in beauty from season to season.
Further improvements are in progress this season — new
roads are being made, new sidewalks laid down, a number of
new flower-beds have been formed, and the whole of the
grounds will this year present a more beautiful and attractive
appearance than they have at any previous Exhibition.
LORNE PARK.
This favorite resort is beautifully situated on the north shore
of Lake Ontario, fourteen miles from Toronto, and can be
reached in twenty-five minutes by rail, or forty -five minutes by
water. It commands a splendid view of the lake. It has
recently been laid out in cottage and camp lots, of which there
are two hundred, with main avenue of one hundred feet, and
streets of sixty-six feet, leaving fifty acres for recreation
grounds.
The grounds are lighted by electricity, a proper water
supply and system of drainage arranged for, and everything
has been done to make this the most pleasant summer resort in
Ontario.
No intoxicating liquor is allowed to be sold on the grounds>
or on the steamer plying to the park.
Street Traffic.
There is no city of the size of Toronto, in Great Britain or
America, which shows so extensive street traffic, as the writer
knows from personal observation. Having said this, the rest
of the world might be included. This arises chiefly from the
position Toronto occupies as the great distributing centre of
the Dominion. The receiving and shipping of imported and
manufactured goods, which are sent to every point from Hali-
fax to Vancouver — the representatives of Toronto houses now
regularly visiting the whole of this immense field — have created
this wonderful amount of business traffic on our streets, evi-
230 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
dencing the solid and substantial progress the city has made in
a comparatively short time.
Had our Rip Van Winkle, instead of coming from Holland,
been acquainted with the topography of London, and in some
day during the week of the Industrial Exhibition " waked up "
from his long sleep, at the Dominion Bank (leaving out the
powdered wigs, plush breeches, silk stockings, and gold-headed
sticks of the footmen, and throwing in continuous lines of street
cars), he might naturally fancy himself at Oxford Circus, with
Oxford Street stretching away at one side, and the Regent
Street Quadrant at the other ; or should a " block " occur, as in
the case of some procession, might imagine he was standing
somewhere between the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange
and the Mansion House ; and as to the wholesale trade, if at
the corner of Scott and Front Streets, might imagine himself
in St. Paul's Churchyard, with a view from Ludgate Hill on the
west, to New Cannon Street on the east, where are to be seen
the finest specimens of warehouse architecture in London.
Returning to Yonge and King Streets, he would find carriages
of every style, private and public, including phaetons, broug-
hams, waggons, coupes, market carts, dog carts, rockaways,
pony carriages and hansoms in endless variety, also drays, lorries,
merchants', manufacturers' express and tradesmen's delivery
wagons, — all producing a scene of bustle and activity only to
be witnessed in a great and prosperous city, and showing a
marvellous contrast with the appearance of the streets in 1847.
Canadian Pacific Railway.
On the first of November a message was received by the
Governor-General at Ottawa from Her Majesty, congratulating
the Dominion Government on the accomplishment of the great
work ; and on the ninth of the same month, Sir John A. Mac-
donald received a telegram from Mr. Van Home, and the Pre-
mier of British Columbia, congratulating him on the completion
•of the C.P.R. Mr. Sandford Fleming also telegraphed, stating
that the first through train had accomplished the journey from
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 231
Montreal to Vancouver in five days, and that the trip would
shortly be accomplished in four days.
At a banquet given in Montreal to Sir George Stephens and
Hon. D. A. Smith, the former said in his speech : " When Sir
John A. Macdonald stated in London that the termini of the
Canadian Pacific Railway were Liverpool and Hong Kong, he
was not indulging in a flight of eloquence. He was stating in
simple language a sober fact."
By the proposed line of steamers from Vancouver to the far
East, the crossing point of the Canadian Pacific Railway will be
reached. In 1861 it took from ten to twelve days for troops to
be conveyed from Halifax to Quebec. In 1870, during the Red
River rebellion, it took eleven weeks from Quebec to Red
River, and ninety-five days from Toronto to Winnipeg. Now
the whole distance can be traversed in six days. Troops and
stores can reach the Pacific coast from Liverpool in thirteen or
fourteen days.
In summer, from Montreal to Vancouver can be done in four
and a-half days ; in winter, Halifax to Vancouver in six days.
With steamers making fourteen to fifteen knots, the passage
from Vancouver to Yokohama can be made in twelve days ;
from England to Japan in twenty-six days ; from England to
Hong Kong and Shanghai in thirty-four days. From England
to Hong Kong, via Brindisi, takes forty to forty-four days, and
via Gibralter, forty-nine to fifty-three days ; from England to
Calcutta, thirty-eight days ; and via Halifax, adding seven days
for Atlantic passage, the distance can be clone in twenty-eight
days.
Lord Lome, in his article on the Canadian Pacific Railway,
says: "Had not the Americans derived new life and hope
from the time that civilization was carried inward from the
coast, and the mere fringe of the New England colonies and the
Carolinas and New York had blossomed into a nation control-
ling the Mississippi, and master of all the regions which pour
their wealth through the great market place on the shore of
Michigan — the city of Chicago." And his lordship, asks, "Why
should not Canada have its Chicago ? "
232 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Either his lordship had forgotten to mention Toronto, or he
did not wish to show any partiality, as he must know that
Canada has her Chicago, and that can be no other than Toronto,
situated on Lake Ontario, in a position corresponding almost
exactly with Chicago on Lake Michigan. Toronto is quite as
favorably situated as regards her water communication, and
much nearer the seaboard, and as a centre of railways equally
well situated, and commanding a larger extent of country for
trade, which will be secured to Toronto as quickly as the great
North-West is settled. Even now her trade extends from ocean
to ocean, whereas Chicago has no trade whatever to the east-
ward, and is chiefly confined to the States of Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota, and has to compete with St.
Louis, Milwaukee and St. Paul ; and if her trade has developed
to such large proportions in half a century, what may Toronto
not expect, with her immense 'field for enterprise, during the
same period ? Surely it must become even greater than the
trade of Chicago.
Cathedral of St. Alban the Martyr.
The corner-stone of this building was laid on the 16th of
June, 1887, by the Right Reverend Arthur Sweatman, D.D.,
Bishop of Toronto. The Cathedral Chapter was incorporated
in 1883, and the Cathedral building was commenced in 1885.
The establishment of a Cathedral for the Diocese of Toronto
has been under consideration for many years, the object being
to have a Church and Episcopal residence altogether distinct
from ordinary parochial organizations, and forming a central
point in the diocese from which the Bishop, with the advice of
the Chapter, may exercise the functions of his office and his
oversight over the whole diocese. The Cathedral will be built
in a central position as regards the city and suburbs, being a
little north of Bloor Street, between Albany and Howland
Avenues, and when completed will be an ornament to the city.
The work will be of red Credit Valley stone, in the early Eng-
lish style, and the design is in every way worthy of a Cathedral
of the Church of England. The architect is Mr. R. Windeyen
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892.
233
A portion of the crypt was completed sufficiently for use for
services pending the erection of the building above it, and ser-
vices were held in it for some three or four years, until in 1891
the choir was completed. The building thus erected is about
ninety feet in length, and seventy feet in width, inclusive of
the choir aisles. The choir is quite unequalled in Canada for
CATHEDRAL OF ST. ALBAN.
beauty of design and architectural finish ; the open timber roof,
supported by successive arches, carried upon hammer beams
with spandrels filled with tracery, is exceptionally grand, and the
stone carving of the arcades dividing the choir proper from the
choir aisles, has been pronounced by competent judges as the
best work of the kind on this continent. The choir is floored
with terra-cotta tiles, manufactured at Milton by the Toronto
Pressed Brick and Terra-Cotta Company. The sanctuary is
1R
234 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
approached by stone steps, and is floored with marble, the altar
steps being also of marble. The whole building is to be about
250 feet long, and 70 wide, with transepts of about 100 feet in
length. The design contemplates a splendid square tower at
the west end. This building, when completed, will undoubtedly
be one of the finest and most important public buildings in
Canada.
The Cathedral Chapter consists of the Bishop of Toronto,
Dean; Rev. Canon Dumoulin, sub-Dean; Rev. Chas. W. E.
Body, Chancellor; Rev. J. D. Cayley, Precentor; the Arch-
deacon of York, Venerable S. J. Boddy ; the Archdeacon of
Peterborough, Venerable T. W. Allen ; Rev. Henry Scadding,
D.D. ; R. Snelling, Q.C., Chancellor of the Diocese ; John A.
Worrell, Q.C., Registrar of the Diocese ; Robert H. Bethune,
Treasurer ; Hon. George W. Allan, His Honor Judge Benson
(Port Hope), Edward M. Chad wick, John Carter, John R. Cart-
wright, Q.C., Major Edward H. Foster, Columbus H. Greene,
Rev. Canons Henry Brent, Henry B. Osier, Francis Tremayne,
Alex. Sanson, John Fletcher, Wm. Logan, C. C. Johnson,
J. Middleton, Edward W. Murphy, R. E. W. Greene, Philip
Harding, Albert W. Spragge, John Farncombe and Wm. Reiner.
Honorary Canons : Revs. J. P. Sheraton and J. F. Sweeney.
The Cathedral stands in a block of about four acres, upon
;part of which, stands the see-house, the residence of the Bishop,
. a plain brick building' of no architectural pretensions. The
•remainder of the block is intended for the future sites of such
other buildings as may be found requisite for carrying on the
Cathedral work in its fullest extent.
Toronto Street Railway Company.
Those who are acquainted with Philadelphia know that with
its population of nearly three-quarters of a million, there are
no tenement houses of four to eight stories, in which a number
of families are crowded together, with the terrible risk from
fire. Covering more ground than New York, it affords space
on which every family can have a home, and this is almost
RIGHT REV. ARTHUR SWEATMAN, D.D.,
Bishop of Toronto.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 237
entirely due to the street car service affording easy access to
the farthest limits of the city, and around Fairmount Park,
with its 3,000 acres, and to the manufacturing suburbs of
Germantown.
Applying this to Toronto, it must be admitted that the spread
and expansion of the city has been in proportion to the exten-
sion of the street car service, and the increase in the value of
property in the suburbs is due to the same cause. No city in
America can boast of a more efficient street car service than
that furnished by the Toronto Street Railway Company, and
nothing but very large capital and enterprise could have brought
it to its present state of efficiency.
To interrupt this traffic would be to throw Toronto back to
the "jolting " times of a quarter of a century ago, and reduce
the value of property in all the distant portions of the city.
A company which has contributed so much to the health, com-
fort and convenience of the citizens, and to the enhancement
of the value of property in and around the city, as well as
giving employment to such a large number of men, must be
regarded as public benefactors, and are fully entitled to every
financial benefit that may accrue from their enterprise while
lawfully and justly carried on.
Commercial Union or Unrestricted Reciprocity.
Breathes there a man so void of grit,
Who loves his country scarce a whit,
Who, with the spirit of a clam,
Would kiss the toe of Uncle Sam,
And beg him take the tub in tow,
As we .can never make it go ?
If such there breathe, I tell you what,
We might administer boycott;
Not cruel or too harsh, you know,
But just enough to make him go —
Not be at home if he should call,
Nor often notice him at all ;
Upon him let not beauty smile,
Nor chum his dismal hours beguile,
Nor neat domestic spread his couch,
238 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Much less consent to wed the slouch,
Or cook his grub or soothe his breast,
Or sew a button on his vest.
But let him wander, lost, about,
A woe-begone, unsavory lout,
Till he is happy to resign
And plod his way across the line,
Or, in his abjectness, go down
Without regret, without renown.
— Rev. John May.
During the past few years an attempt has been made to prove
the advantages that would arise to the Dominion by closer com-
mercial relations with the United States, and, under the above
titles, to establish clubs for the purpose of agitating the ques-
tion. While no Canadian will deny the importance of a reci-
procal interchange of the natural productions of the soil, and
the advantages that accrued to both countries while the Reci-
procity Treaty was in existence, the question assumes quite
another shape when it is proposed to extend the principle to
manufactured goods, and even should this become a matter of
mutual and reciprocal arrangement, unrestricted reciprocity
would be not only injurious to Canadian interests and her self-
dependence, but absolutely impracticable while the present
tariffs relating to British and foreign goods exist in Canada
and the United States.
This agitation, commenced by a few individuals, none of
whom have the confidence of the mass of either the commercial
or agricultural portion of the people of Canada, without any
intimation from the people of either country, has been carried
on for some time, and representations have been made at public
meetings, chiefly in country places, calculated to mislead those
who do not understand the impossibility of any such arrange-
ment as they propose without discriminating against Great
Britain, and striking at the very root of our manufacturing
industries at the same time, and also reducing our large whole-
sale trade to a level with that of the smaller American cities,
whose wholesale merchants are only in the position of jobbers
for the large importing houses of New York and Boston, while
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 239
the merchant princes of Montreal and Toronto stand on an
equality with the largest importers in any American city.
This Commercial Union movement is now generally spoken
of as the " Wiman-Butterworth-Goldwin Smith fad," and the
resolutions in its favor, moved in the Parliament at Ottawa,
having been discussed at such a length as to have been
a waste of valuable time, both in the Commons and Senate, and
having been rejected by an overwhelming vote, may be con-
sidered as having received their "quietus." While the few
gentlemen who have kept up the agitation have spoken of the
movement as " spontaneous," it is remarkable that nothing was
heard of it, either in the cities or the rural districts, until Mr.
Wiman, whose interests are chiefly in the United States, sud-
denly introduced the matter, and up to that time the question
had never been discussed, and even now no proposition has
come from the people or the Government of the United States
to warrant the supposition that they would consent to such an
arrangement, and much less would any class of the people' of
Canada, if properly informed on the subject, commit themselves
to a policy so suicidal to their interests, and so degrading to
their ambitious aims towards self-dependence and self-govern-
ment. Without anything to gain, Canada would have every-
thing to lose. The policy under which she has achieved such
marvellous success, and advanced by bounds in material pro-
gress and development, would be. swept away, and the benefits
handed over to a foreign power, while the national instinct
that binds Canada to Great Britain would be extinguished, and
her birthright to England's historic glory and renown bartered
for a " mess of pottage."
It is unaccountable that so distinguished a litterateur as
Professor Goldwin Smith, who is so strong an advocate^of
a United Empire, can be so inconsistent as to argue in favor
of Commercial Union, knowing, as he must, that it will tend
towards political union, and if entertained at all by the United
States, would be only as a step towards annexation.
If there is to be commercial union, it must be with Great
Biitain, where a market is open for all our products, and by
which our tariff will be left entirely in our own hands.
240 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Arrival of the New Governor-General.
The Eight Honorable Lord Stanley of Preston arrived in
Ottawa on the 10th June, 1888, having made a fine and pleasant
passage to Quebec.
His Lordship was accompanied by Lady Stanley, his eldest
son, Lieut. Edward Stanley, of the Grenadier Guards, Captain
Jocelyn Bagot, Military Secretary, Lieut. McMahon, and Mr.
Victor Stanley, His Lordship's second son, and a midshipman in
Her Majesty's navy, and three younger children.
On the llth Lord Stanley, with a military escort, proceeded
from Eideau Hall to the Parliament Buildings, and" in the
presence of a distinguished assemblage was sworn in as Gov-
ernor-General of the Dominion, the oath being administered by
Sir William Eitchie. His Excellency then signed the oath of
allegiance, and also the proclamation by which he proclaimed
himself Governor- General.
" Nobility is a graceful ornament to the civil order. It is the Corinthian
capital of polished society, — Omnes boni nobilitati semper favemus." — Edmund
Burke.
The Eight Honorable Frederick Arthur Stanley, Lord Stanley
of Preston, G.C.B., is a younger son of the fourteenth Earl of
Derby, by the Honorable Emma, second daughter of the first
Baron Skelmersdale, and is the heir presumptive to the Earldom
of Derby. He was born on January loth, 1841, and received
his education at Eton. In 1864 he married Lady Constance,
eldest daughter of the fourth Earl of Clarendon. In April,
1858, Lord Stanley entered the Grenadier Guards as ensign,
and in June, 1862, he became lieutenant, captain and adjutant.
He retired in 1865. He is now the colonel of the Lancashire
Militia, a supernumerary A.D.C. to Her Majesty, and a J.P.
for Lancashire and Westmoreland. He was a Lord of the
Admiralty in 1868, and Financial Secretary of War from 1874
to 1877, when he became Secretary of State for War. In 1885
he held the office of Secretary of State for the Colonies, and in
1886 was appointed President of the Board of Trade, and was
raised to the peerage with the title of Lord Stanley of Preston.
HIS EXCELLENCY SIR FREDERICK ARTHUR STANLEY,
BARON STANLEY OF PRESTON, G.C.B.
(Governor-General of Canada.)
242 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Imperial Federation.
When the first practical movement towards the formation of
an Imperial Federation League was made in Toronto there was
a suspicion that underneath was a covert attempt to strike at
the root of the National Policy, it being thought by some that
any movement towards federation would necessitate a uni-
formity in the tariffs of England and her colonies.
As the question became ventilated, and British statesmen
expressed their views on the subject, and with the noblest
sentiments of liberality, stated in the most unequivocal terms,
that the self-governing colonies would in no wise be expected
to deviate from the tariff arrangements best adapted to the
circumstances of each, and that the idea of Imperial Federation
did not involve the necessity of any such sacrifice being made,
it was found that no such idea was entertained. The imme-
diate result of this new light being thrown on the subject was
to attract persons of all political views, with the principles of
the integrity of the Empire, and the union of all the colonies
with Great Britain for mutual defence and general support, as
their sole bond of union.
On this assurance, many in Toronto who held aloof at once
entered heartily into the scheme, and, after a most enthusiastic
meeting in Association Hall, on the 24th March, 1888, the
Toronto branch of the Imperial Federation League was formed.
It is not intended that the Imperial Federation League shall
formulate a definite policy in carrying out their principles, but
to allow time and circumstances to develop the points on which
all the colonies can agree to maintain the integrity of the
Empire, and, at the same time, preserve their own autonomy.
As the British Constitution has been firmly established, through
the cumulative wisdom and sagacity of her great statesmen in
past centuries, so will the question of Imperial Federation,
from time to time, gradually, but surely, tend towards its grand
consummation. ^ Whether it may take the form of representa-
tion in the Imperial Parliament, or in other ways, the silken
bond of union that now binds all British subjects throughout
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 243
the world to the mother-land, will undoubtedly be strength-
ened, and whether for defence or support, for sympathy or
material progress, there never was a time in the history of the
British Empire when the same determination existed, wherever
the Union Jack floats all around the world, to preserve intact
the glorious institutions so dear to every British heart.
It is sincerely to be hoped that the increasing tendency to
closer union with the mother-land will have the effect of dissi-
pating every feeling of estrangement, and that the day is not
far distant when every child born under the British flag,
whether in Toronto or Melbourne, Vancouver or Halifax, Ber-
muda or Jamaica, in every part of the vast British Empire,
will be considered as much a Briton and citizen of Great
Britain as if born within the sound of Bow Bells.
Right Honorable Sir John A. Macdonald, G-.O.B., P.O.
" Si monumentum requiris, circumspice." — On Sir Christopher Wren, St.
Paul's Cathedral.
Although this distinguished statesman did not represent
Toronto as a parliamentary constituency, yet there is a sense in
which he represented not only this city, but every city and town
in this great Dominion. Wherever trade, commerce and manu-
factures flourish, and beyond the limits of the centres of popu-
lation, where agriculture and all that appertains to the happi-
ness and prosperity of a contented people abound on every
hand, Sir John A. Macdonald has raised a monument of undy-
ing fame as the leader by whose consummate skill and far-
seeing and comprehensive judgment the Dominion of Canada
has attained to her proud position not only as an integral por-
tion of the British Empire, and the brightest jewel in the British
Crown, but has come into prominence, before the civilized
world, and in proportion to her population, has outstepped all
rivalry. In no city from the Atlantic to the Pacific, are the
results of the great scheme of Confederation and the National
Policy, with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
more apparent than in this rapidly growing and prosperous
centre.
THE LATE RIGHT HON. SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD,
P.C., G.C.B.
(Premier of the Dominion of Canada.)
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 245
t
It is no flattery to say that in Toronto Sir John A. Mac-
donald has enshrined himself in the hearts of all the loyal,
unprejudiced and influential citizens as a public benefactor.
Space will not admit of any enumeration of the benefits Toronto
has derived directly and indirectly from the policy inaugurated
by the present Government, which has become firmly estab-
lished as that which is most conducive to the interests not only
of the manufacturing classes, but by creating a home market,
extends its influence to the agricultural and laboring classes as
well, all of which are enjoying a measure of prosperity not
surpassed in any country on the face of the globe, i
The visits of the Premier of Canada to Toronto were always
welcome, and while he continued to guide the affairs of state
with the same judicious hand, he retained the unbounded
confidence of all who have the interests of Toronto at heart,
and who are willing to place these interests above all party
politics and desire to maintain the integrity of the glorious
empire, which has, by conferring especial distinction on our
Canadian Premier, thereby honored the whole people of
Canada.
From the time the writer, while yet a youth, arrived in this
country, and taking no interest in Canadian politics, but observ-
ing and listening to the parliamentary debates and watching
the careers of the greatest men in the country, from the days
of Papineau, Baldwin, D'Arcy Magee, and others, whose names
are already referred to in these pages, down to the present,
he soon singled out John A. Macdonald as the patriot states-
man who was destined to raise his country above all party
strife, and by his tact, judgment and great ability, was alone
capable of fusing the conflicting elements of religion and
nationality into one homogeneous confederacy, and this, with
the aid of his able coadjutors, he successfully accomplished.
The opinion first formed has never changed. Whether in
opposition or power, overwhelmed with slander by his oppo-
nents or idolized by his friends, the writer always maintained
that he, as the Disraeli of Canada, would raise her to the proud
position she now occupies as a country enjoying the greatest
246 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
possible freedom in connection with the greatest monarchy the
world has ever seen.
Like the immortal Beaconsfield, whom Sir John resembled in
more than one respect, he never condescended to reply to the
language of vituperation so often heaped upon him, and, beyond
the use of good-natured and witty repartee and the bonhommie
of gentlemanly courtesy, allowed all the slander of his oppo-
nents to pass unheeded by.
One great characteristic of Sir John A. Macdonald was his
disinterestedness, which is essential to true patriotism. Lord
Bolingbroke has said, " Neither Montaigne in writing his essays,
nor Descartes in building new worlds, nor Burnet in framing
an antediluvian earth, no, nor Newton, in discovering and
establishing the true laws of nature on experiment, and a sub-
limer geometry, felt more intellectual joys than he feels who
is a real patriot, who bends all the force of his understanding
and directs all his thoughts and. actions to the good of his
country. When such a man forms a political scheme, and
adjusts various and seemingly independent parts in it to one
great and good design, he is transported by imagination or
absorbed in meditation as much and agreeably as they ; and
the satisfaction that arises from the different importance of
these objects in every step of the work is vastly in his favor.
"But he who speculates in order to act, goes on and carries
his scheme into execution. The execution, indeed, is often
traversed by unforseen and untoward circumstances, by the
perverseness or treachery of friends, and by the power or
malice of enemies.
" If the event is successful, such a man enjoys pleasure pro-
portionable to the good he has done — a pleasure like to that
which is attributed to the Supreme Being in a survey of His
Works." This pleasure was, perhaps, except the gratitude of his
country, Sir. John A. Macdonald's sole reward.
New Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
Sir Alexander Campbell, K.C.M.G., was sworn in as Lieu-
tenant-Governor on the 1st of June, 1887.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 247
Honorable Oliver Mowat, Q.O., LL.D., Attorney-
General and Premier of Ontario.
Rarely has it occurred that the leader of any Government
has held office for a period of twenty years without a break,
and yet so great has been the popularity of the Premier of the
Province of Ontario that such is his record, and it would seem
that his continuance in power depended entirely on his own will
in the matter.
Having been Provincial Secretary in 1858, he became Post-
master-General in 1863 ; was a member of the Union Confer-
ence for the Confederation of the British Provinces in 1864,
and was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Upper Canada the same
year. He resigned this office in 1872, on being called upon to
form a new Administration in the government of Ontario, and
was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council and
Attorney-General.
His unswerving loyalty to British institutions, and his advo-
cacy of the integrity of the Empire, have marked his public
career, and been expressed on all public and official occasions,
especially during the late Jubilee celebrations and on his late
visit to Britain. His patronage of all religious and benevolent
enterprises has gained him the reputation of being emphatically
"The Christian politician." His manner is both courteous and
dignified. As a debater he is concise, argumentative, and
convincing. His language is well chosen, and, without any
special claim to oratory, he has the faculty of holding the
attention of his listeners, whether on the side of the Govern-
ment or in Opposition. The subjects of debate being more
provincial than national, and more local than general, limit, to
a certain extent, his scope for eloquence, and it may be safely
asserted that had he a wider field he would show himself equal
to every occasion as a statesman of great ability.
The name of Oliver Mowat will be identified with the history
of Toronto for all time to come, if only in connection with the
erection of
THE NEW PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
commenced during his administration, and now rising in their
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 249
magnificent proportions in the Queen's Park, and will, when
completed, be a fitting Capitol to accommodate the assembled
wisdom of the premier Province of this great Dominion.
The buildings are of great architectural beauty, of the style
known as the Neo-Greek. The outside walls have absorbed
200,000 cubic feet of cut stone, and there have been used thirteen
millions of brick. The building is 512 feet long, by depth
of 276 feet, and 190 feet in height. The legislative chamber
will be 112 feet by 80 feet, with a ceiling 52 feet high.
To the Mowat Government is due the credit of having
decided on Credit Valley stone — so near our doors — and also
having contracted for the whole building on terms combining
economy with grandeur and solidity. The cost will be about
$1,250,000. The building is rapidly nearing completion.
Toronto in 1888.
Perhaps never in the history of the world did a new year
dawn on a young city more auspiciously than 1888 has dawned
on our young and prosperous city of Toronto. Her citizens
may appropriately say, "The lines have fallen unto us in
pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage."
Beautiful for situation, the central point of attraction for
the whole Dominion, Toronto is also fast becoming a centre of
everything that constitutes a great city — manufactures, com-
merce, education, fine arts, all have a home here, and extend
their influence from ocean to ocean, while as a " city set on a
hill," the name of Toronto has become the synonym of order,
morality, temperance and religion.
Benevolent and charitable institutions abound on every hand,
and are rapidly increasing, so that to-day there is no class of
sick, poor, helpless or unfortunate unprovided for, and it may
literally be said there is "no complaining in our streets."
Allowing for the average changes in business, and a few fail-
ures, the position of Toronto to-day is one of prosperity, con-
tentment and enjoyment, while the prospects are of the most
hopeful and cheerful character.
250 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
By the suppression, or total extinction of the liquor traffic,
every source of misery and of crime would be abolished, and
many of those places at present provided for the unfortunate
and criminal classes would cease to exist, making our fair city
a model for the world.
The Fleming By-law, by which over ninety saloons and
places for the sale of liquor have been closed, was a step in the
direction intimated, and although not followed up by a further
reduction the present year, there is no reason why the move-
ment towards total prohibition should not still advance towards
complete accomplishment. The establishment of a dipsomaniac
institution then contemplated has been realized by the insti-
tution of a Sanitarium in Deer Park for the same object.
Central Position of Toronto.
Having already claimed for Toronto its position as the Com-
mercial Centre of the Dominion, both as a distributing and
shipping point, the constantly increasing number of new pro-
jects, of railway extension and of mining experiments, add
additional weight and importance to her claims. The com-
pletion of a railway to James' Bay will shortly add another to
her connections with Europe by the shortest of all routes, and
what with being already the centre of literature, manufactures,
trade, science, and education ; the central point where tourists
may choose their destination either east, west, north, or south,
and visit all the grandest scenery on the American continent in
the most convenient and inexpensive manner, where the disci-
ples of Nimrod and Izaak Walton may indulge their passion or
love of adventure with certain success amongst the thousands
of islands and lakes, all within easy distance, Toronto can " hold
her own " against all competitors. And to sum up, it is not too
much to say, that not only does she occupy the centre of the
Dominion of Canada, but the centre of the Empire on the
Western Hemisphere, as truly as London does in the Eastern,
as her contiguity to India, Australia, the West Indies, and all
other British possessions, fully shows.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 251
Winter of 1887-88 in Toronto
Will be remembered as perhaps the most delightful and enjoy-
able in the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
If anything were necessary to be added to what has already
been said in favor of the climate of Toronto, the experience of
the past winter would be sufficient to prove its salubrity and
healthfulness.
There has been sufficient snow to make excellent sleighing
for several months, and frost to afford the lovers of winter
amusements every facility for skating and tobogganing, without
a single day of what may be called extremely cold weather.
In this respect Toronto seems to be especially favored, and
without anything like depreciation of the position of our neigh-
bors across the line, may be allowed to congratulate herself on
being free from the extremes which have been reported from
many States of the Union.
From one of their own papers, published in Cincinnati, we
give a rather humorous poem, after the style of Longfellow,
which aptly describes the weather there the late winter, while
it may be stated as a fact, that in one week, one hundred and
fifty persons perished from cold under the most terrible circum-
stances, in the Dakota territory alone ; children having been
frozen to death on their way home from school, and men and
women attending to their, ordinary duties within reach of their
own homes, so terribly and rapidly were they stricken with the
fatal blast, the thermometer indicating from forty to fifty below
zero.
SONG OF THE BLIZZARD.
Mr. Blizzard, from the north-west,
From the land of the Dakotahs,
From the land of the Missouri,
From the wild and howling prairies,
Where the snow is piled like mountains,
And the lakes are frozen solid —
Now and then comes strolling southward ;
Comes across the Mississippi,
Makes a bee line for Chicago,
252 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Paralyzes all he finds there ;
Then he scoots for Indiana —
Mr. Blizzard, of the north-west —
Scoots across the Hoosier counties,
Filling all the air with snowflakes,
Freezing every ear he touches
Till he strikes our Cincinnati —
Strikes her hard and strikes her often,
Says the town is to his liking,
And he'd like to make a visit.
So he blusters up our thoroughfares,
Whistles shrilly down our alleys,
And he has no kind of manners,
For he goes where he's not wanted,
Pushes into private places,
Pinching ears and slapping faces,
Blowing skirts with impoliteness,
Taking liberties unheard of,
Does this saucy Mr. Blizzard.
He should go back to the north-west,
To the land of the Dakotahs,
To the land of the Missouri ,
We don't like him and don't want him
And request him to skedaddle.
Another fact is worthy of being recorded for the information
of those at a distance, who have supposed that the Dominion of
Canada is a region of ice and snow, where travel in winter is
impossible except in dog-trains on the snow, the Canadian
Pacific Railway from end to end, or from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, has not been interrupted in its traffic during the whole
winter, while its competitor, the Northern Pacific, has been
blocked with snow, and has encountered the most terrific
blizzards. ,
This is the more remarkable and incredible, as the former
runs much farther north, and the isothermal lines run parallel
with the latter, although in a much higher latitude.
Toronto is situated in North Latitude 43.49, and West Longi-
tude 79.71 ; 5 hours, 17 minutes and 26 seconds later than
Greenwich time.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 253
Trans-Pacific Steamers.
The most important event of the year for the Dominion in
-general, and Toronto in particular, has been the arrival of the
steamship Abyssinia at Vancouver, from Yokohama, on the
14th of June, 1888, having made the passage in thirteen days,
fourteen hours, and being the first of the line. She had twenty-
two cabin passengers for Liverpool, New York, and eastern
points. Her cargo consisted of 2,830 tons of tea, silk and curios
for Victoria, Winnipeg, St. Paul, Chicago, London, Hamilton,
Toronto, Buffalo and New York.
New Bank of Montreal.
This beautiful building illustrates in a remarkable manner
the progress of architecture in the city.
The material is Ohio stone, and the style of the composite
order of architecture, in which the Corinthian largely predomi-
nates, and is the most ornate of all classical styles. The Cor-
inthian is the most elaborate of all Grecian orders. The merit
of its invention is ascribed to Callimachus, a celebrated sculptor
of Athens, about 540 B.C. He is said to have taken the idea
from observing the leaves of the acanthus, growing round a
basket which had been placed with some favorite trinkets upon
the grave of a young Corinthian lady — the stalks which rose
among the leaves having been formed into slender volutes by
a square tile which covered the basket.
The capital is larger and more ornamental than in the other
orders, spreading in the form of a basket, and commingling the
richest and lightest vegetation with the decorations of previous
orders.
The pilasters of the Bank of Montreal are richly sculptured,
the designs, surmounted by mask heads, emblematic of various
subjects. On the south are : (1) Commerce, (2) Music, (3) Archi-
tecture, (4) Agriculture. On the east front are : (1) Industry,
(2) Science, (3) Literature, (4) Arts ; and over the main entrance
are the arms of the Bank of Montreal.
254 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
This splendid work has been executed by Messrs. Holbrook
& Mollington, architectural sculptors, who also performed the
fine work on the Custom House. Messrs. Darling & Currie were
the architects.
The interior has been superbly finished in stucco, and being
one complete room, with dome light, presents a magnificent
appearance. The fittings of the various offices are of the most
elegant description, all Canadian work.
Canadian Railways.
In 1849, when the writer made his first journey to Montreal
and Quebec, the only railroads in Canada were a few miles
between Lachine and Montreal, and from Laprairie to St. John's,
and were of the most primitive character, the rails being plain
plates of iron fastened with iron spikes. The carriages were
of English make and fashion, having doors at the sides only,
and the compartments, consisting of six seats in each, were on
the vis-a-vis principle. The Lachine road was utilized for the
conveyance of the Upper Canada mails, and those passengers
who preferred going through that way to Montreal rather than
"shooting the rapids," or in case of the steamers not going
through the same evening.
The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada.
The recent amalgamation with the Northern and North -
Western, as well as the former acquisition of the Great Western,
identifies this great pioneer highway of Canada more than ever
with Toronto, especially as the Northern had the honor of
being the first in actual operation ; and while the name of the
latter will now be lost, her history will ever be identified with
the growth and progress of Toronto, opening up as it did the
means of transit for the vast productions of the forest, which
have found their way to both home and foreign markets by the
facilities the road has afforded. And yet, all that it has done
in the past are as nothing compared with what may be expected
in the future, her connections now being capable of illimitable
expansion, affording facilities for the development of trade and
256
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
manufactures, as well as the development of mines and minerals*
the products of fisheries and agriculture as well as of the forest.
The fact of another stupendous undertaking -having been
accomplished, with a business sufficient to make both of these
immense undertakings remunerative, must be nothing less than
astounding to the reader of these pages who refers to their
commencement, within the period recorded in the reminiscences
of the writer.
Ex- Alderman John Harvie, of this city, who was connected
with the Northern from its commencement, has in his possession
the first time table ever used, and is a sort of literary curiosity,
being in ordinary handwriting, and bearing date June 13th,
1853, at which time the road was open to Bradford. The first
passenger train left Toronto at 10.30 a.m., arriving at Bradford
at 12.45 a.m., the distance being about 40 miles. He also has
the first Passenger Tariff, of which a copy is given.
Ontario, Simcoe, and Huron Railroad Passenger Tariff, June,
1853 — in Halifax currency (20 cents to a shilling) : —
FROM
1*
Thornhill.
Richmond
Hill.
t
3
Machell's
Corners.
Newmar-
ket.
Holland
Landing.
Bradford.
Toronto ....
s, d.
0 74
s. d.
1 0
s. d.
1 3
s. d.
1 104
s. d.
3 14
s. d.
3 9
s. d.
4 0
s. d.
4 44
Davenport Road ....
1 3
1 104
3 14
2 9
4 44
4 44-
f rtj
4 44
Thornhill
0 74
1 3
2 6
3 14
3 4
4 44
Richmond Hill
1 0
1 104
2 6
3 14
3 9
King
....
1 0
1 3
i ioj
2 6
Machell's Corners
....
....
0 74
1 3
1 104
Newmarket
0 74
1 3
Holland Landing . . .
...
v /j
0 74
The first tickets have on one side, " Ontario, Simcoe & Huron
Railroad," with the Rose, Shamrock, Thistle, and Maple Leaf
on the four corners, and the other side is a representation of the
Union Jack, surmounted by a crown, the letters O.S.H.R. in
the centre, and " From Toronto to Barrie," on the sides.
Mr. Harvie was an officer on this first passenger train ever
run in Upper Canada, and issued the first ticket and handled
JOHN HARVIE, ESQ.,
Ex-Alderman.
(Permanent Secretary Upper Canada Bible Society).
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 257
the first money earned by this pioneer railway of Ontario. He
also had charge of the train conveying H. R. EL the Prince of
Wales, in 1860 ; afterwards he became Traffic Superintendent,
his total service with the company extending over 28 years,
receiving on his retirement a handsome bonus, with a " life
pass," in a gold locket, and from the employees a handsome
clock, with an illuminated address.
The name of Sandford Fleming, C.M.G., C.E., which is iden-
tified with the opening up of the great North-West, and with
many great engineering works, must ever remain associated
with the history of the Northern Railway, having held the posi-
tion of chief engineer for several years ; and that of Frederick
Cumberland, Esq., who was managing director to the end of his
life.
Canadian Pacific Railway.
COLLOQUY ON THE CANADIAN SHORE BETWEEN "CANADA" AND
• " BRITANNIA."
CANADA — " Westward the course of empire takes its way."
BRITANNIA — The Bishop's famous line, dear, bears to-day
Modified meaning ; westward runs indeed
The route of empire, — ours.
CANADA — If I succeed
In drawing hither Trade's unfaltering feet
And yours, my triumph then will be complete.
BRITANNIA — Across your continent from sea to sea
All is our own, my child, and all is free.
No jealous rivals spy around our path
With watchfulness not far remote from wrath.
The sea-ways are my own, free from of old,
To keels adventurous and bosoms bold.
Now, from my western clifls that front the deep
To where the warm Pacific waters sweep
Around Cathay and old Zipangu's shore,
My course is clear. What can I wish for more ?
To your young enterprise the praise is due.
CANADA — The praise and profit I would share with you.
Canadian energy has felt the spur
Of British capital ; the flush and stir
258 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Of British patriot blood is in our heart ;
Still I am glad you think I have done my part.
BRITANNIA — Bravely. Yon Arctic wastes no more need slay
My gallant sons. Had Franklin seen this day
He had not slept his last long lonely sleep
Where the cjiill ice-paek lades the frozen deep.
" It can be done; England should do it." Yes,
That is the thought which urges to success
Our struggling, sore-tried heroes. Waghorn knew
Such inspiration. Many a palsied crew
Painfully creeping through the Arctic night
Have felt it fill their souls with fire and light.
Well, it is done by men of English strain,
Though in such shape as they who strove in vain
With Boreal cold and darkness never dreamed
When o'er the Pole the pale aurora gleamed
Perpetual challenge.
CANADA — Here's your empire route.
A right of way whose value to compute
Will tax the prophets.
BRITANNIA — Links me closer still
With all my wandering sons who tame and till
The world's wild wastes, and throng each paradise
In tropic seas or under southern skies.
See Halifax, Vancouver, Sydney, set
Fresh steps upon a path whose promise yet
Even ourselves have hardly measured. Lo,
Far China brought within a moon or so,
Of tea-devouring London. Here it lies,
The way for men, and mails, and merchandise.
Striking athwart your sea-dividkig sweep
Of land — iron road from deep to deep,
Well thought, well done.
CANADA — No more need you depend
On furtive enemy or doubtful friend,
Your home is on the deep, and when you come
To the Dominion's land you're still at home.
BRITANNIA— And woe to him, the statesman cold or blind,
Of clutching spirit or of chilling mind,
Pedantic prig or purse-string tightening fool,
Who'd check such work and such a spirit cool.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 259
Yours is the praise and may the profit flow
In fullest stream midst your Canadian snow
A true Pactolus. Trade's prolific fruit
Should freely flourish on our Empire Route.
— Punch.
When Archbishop Tache first went to the North- West, in
1845, he left Lachine on June 25th, in a long bark canoe,
manned by six voyageurs, and going by the Ottawa and Mat-
tawan, crossed Lake Nipissing, and passed thence by the
French River into Lake Huron, and so onwards by Lake Supe-
rior, the Kaministiquia, across Lake Rainy River, Lake of the
Woods, and the Winnipeg River, to St. Boniface, which His
Grace reached on August the 25th, the journey occupying sixty-
two days. It was deemed quick work in those days to make
the journey in two months.
Colonel Wolseley, at the head of the first Red River expedi-
tion, left Toronto on May 25th, 1870, taking the Dawson route,
and his advance guard did not enter Fort Garry until August
24th.
On June 21st, 1887, the. first train from Montreal was de-
spatched to the Pacific Coast, and reached the new city of Van-
couver at noon the following Sunday, making the journey of
2,900 miles in 136 hours, beating the time between New York
and San Francisco by twenty hours.
The journey from Montreal to Winnipeg, which took Arch-
bishop Tache' sixty-two days, was made in just the same number
of hours.
The "Mail,11
Having cast off the trammels of political partisanship, has as-
sumed an independent position, and now looks down from its
empyrean of criticism upon the strife of party. The principles
it professes to advocate are chiefly those of Equal Rights and
Temperance.
The mottoes of " The National Policy," " British Connection,"
and " Imperial Federation," formerly emblazoned on its banners,
if not quite obliterated, are so dim as to hide them from the
vision of its old friends and admirers. Should this escapade be
260 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
only temporary, and the Mail return to the " fold of its first
love," hosts of these friends would again flock to its standard.
The marked ability of its editorial matter, its comprehensive
views of general subjects, its unequalled home and foreign cor-
respondence, with its interesting matter for family reading,
place it in the front rank of Canadian newspapers, being high-
toned and dignified in style, as well as instructive and edifying.
The Mail building, which is a monument to the enterprise of
its proprietors, is at once an ornament and an honor to Toronto,
while its arrangements for carrying on its whole business are
perfect in every detail.
Wealthy People of Toronto.
Not more than about thirty years have elapsed since the first
person in Toronto died wealthy ; a fact which shows that such
a thing as wealth being inherited was unknown, and that the
accumulations of the inhabitants of Toronto since its first set-
tlement, have either been by the increase in the value of pro-
perty, or by profits of business industry.
Amongst the former may be ^reckoned the late Hon. Mr.
Crookshank, Hon. William Allan, ^Cgsse Ketchum,^and Samuel
Jarvis, who, having obtained large tracts of land where the
city of Toronto now stands, found themselves possessed of pro-
perty before they died worth many millions of dollars by the
natural increase in the value.
Amongst those who acquired wealth by steady business
enterprise, one of the first was Mr. John Harrington, followed
by Mr. Rice Lewis, the Messrs. Ridout Bros., all in the hard-
ware trade ; and Messrs. Michie, in the grocery ; and later, Hon.
Wm. McMaster and Mr. Robert Walker, in the dry goods trade ;
Messrs. Gooderham & Worts, in the distillery business, may be
said to complete the list of those who had acquired great
wealth up to the time of their death, and not one of all these
had any capital with which to commence business ; Mr. Robert
Wilkes, in the watch and fancy goods trade, may be added to
the list as having acquired a large amount of riches, while yet
a comparatively young man. To these may be added the late
THE EMPIRE BUILDING, ADELAIDE STREET WEST.
TORONTO FEOM 1887 TO 1892. 261
Senator Macdonald, Messrs. John Kay, Frederick Perkins, John
Eastwood, Joseph Cawthra, and John Leys.
Such has been the rapid increase in the value of property
within the last twenty-five years, and the development of trade
and manufactures, that the list of living men who enjoy not
only competence, but positive and real wealth, would be both
remarkable and surprising.
"The Empire."
The Mail having ceased to represent the principles of the
Liberal-Conservative party in the Dominion, a joint stock com-
pany was formed to publish a paper which, as its name
implies, advocates the integrity of the British empire, and at
the same time the policy of the Liberal- Conservative Govern-
ment of Canada, known as the National Policy.
It must be a matter of congratulation to all loyal Canadians
that a paper has been established which will, to a large extent,
counteract the injurious influence of those who, for ulterior
objects, have for some time been engaged in representing the
United States as offering advantages superior to those enjoyed
in Canada, and extolling everything on the other side of the
lines, the effect of which is to depreciate Canadian interests and
her attractions.
To those in Europe into whose hands the Empire may fall,
the information it will disseminate must prove invaluable,
because it will be reliable, and it is to be hoped that its wide
circulation, which is assured, will tend to promote the best class
of emigration to the Dominion, and that Toronto will have a
large share, as our city and country only require the plain truth
to be told to have their great attractions appreciated ; and this
will be adhered to in the columns of the Empire, which is '
published daily and weekly.
Capital Invested in Toronto.
According to the enumerators' returns for the city of Toronto
the capital invested in manufacturing industries in the Queen
City last year reached the extraordinary total of $32,000,000 L
262 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the total number of employees 26,400, and the wages amounted
to $9,400,000, the average being $355 for each employee an-
nually. The value of the products from the factories and work-
shops of Toronto was no less than $45,000,000. Within the
past few months Mr. McGuire, of the United Brotherhood of Car-
penters and Joiners, stated that wages in the United States had
gone down considerably in the last twenty years. In 1880 the
average in the United States was $346 per employee. In 1890
the average dropped to $309. The position, therefore, that
Toronto occupies in this respect is most gratifying, and is a
signal proof of her stability and progress. In 1881, as near as
can be ascertained by careful scrutiny of the census returns of
that year, the average rate of wages paid was $70 less per em-
ployee than in the year just closed. The farmers of Ontario
have a deep interest in this matter, inasmuch as if the artisans
• of Toronto obtain better wages than in the leading cities of the
United States, it represents a higher purchasing power, and,
therefore, they have more to spend on what the farmer pro-
duces.
Toronto a Manufacturing City.
A Sheffield teacher gave a school girl, for a home lesson, a
composition on the question of trade. Next morning she
brought an excuse for not having done her task, and also
handed to the teacher a note which her brother had sent, and
which contained the following: — "'Trade is the substance of
things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.' It will
come 'in the sweet by-and-by.' Trade! Trade! where art
thou ? Come forth and show thyself."
This is the problem which the greatest political economists
in the world are trying to solve to-day. An Imperial Commis-
sion has been appointed in England to find out where her trade
has disappeared to, and the cause of its decline ; with this only
result so far, that new markets must be found to supply the
place of those that have been lost.
It is probable the youth knew nothing of the theories of
Free Trade and Protection, and did not know that Sheffield
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 263
goods were excluded by a hostile tariff from what had formerly
been the largest market for these goods ; nor that the manufac-
turers of Connecticut and Rhode Island were sending in similar
goods to England entirely free ; he only knew the sad fact of
poverty and all its attending evils.
The McKinley tariff, which came into operation in the United
States on October 6th, 1890, has further aggravated the evil in
Sheffield by the great falling off of exports to the United States.
It must be gratifying to the citizens of Toronto that happily
no such state of things exists here ; trade is a visible and tan-
gible reality, and there appears every prospect of steady pro-
gress in the future, as there has been in the past. While no
class is oppressed, all are benefited.
When it is remembered that at the commencement of our
sketch there was just one stove foundry, one soap and candle
factory, and one or two other unimportant kinds of goods
manufactured in Toronto, the list speaks for itself. It must be
borne in mind, however, that this does not by any means in-
clude all the branches of manufactures, as new industries are
starting up continually.
It would be impossible to over-estimate the importance of
these manufactures to the city, not only giving employment to
thousands of the population, but forming a large market for the
agricultural productions in the surrounding country, and also
attracting buyers of every class of goods ; all tending to the
circulation of money, and contributing to the general prosperity.
No thoughtful person can walk down any of the leading
thoroughfares in the morning, or at six o'clock in the evening,
without being struck with the crowds of well-dressed men and
women, all tending toward or returning from the centre of these
industries ; and he must, indeed, be void of patriotism, whose
feelings are not thrilled by the sight of so much enterprise and
industry, making our streets vie with those of Manchester or
Nottingham. Nor is there any reason to doubt that, before
long, we may see the numbers greatly increased. While the
extension of manufactures may embrace those not so cleanly,
no one would object to see even the linen overalls and the
264 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
wooden clogs which, in other cities, although corresponding
with the work of the operatives during the week, are often
replaced by silk and patent leather on Sundays and holidays.
f/9 Toronto Manufactures in 1891.
Account Books 6 Cements 14
Agricultural Implements 4 Cereal Food 2
Ammonia 1 "Chains 1
Architectural Iron Work 2 Chemicals 9
" Furniture 7 Chewing Gum 3
Artificial Limbs , 2 Church and School Furniture .... 2
" Stone 1 Cigars 13
Asphalt 2 Coffee and Spices 7
Awnings 6 Coffins 4
Baby Carriages 4 Collars and Cuffs 2
. . 8 Combs 1
Checks 2 Copper Works 5
Baking Powder 10 Corks 2
Bamboo Goods 2 Cornices 2
Band Instruments 2 Corsets 7
Barb Wire 2 Check Books 2
Baskets .' 3 Dies 6
Bedding 2 Drop Forging 1
Bellows 1 Drugs 4
Belting 8 Dry Plates 1
Bicycles 10 Electric Bells 2
Billiard Tables 2 " Belts 3
Bird Cages 2 " Burglar and Fire Alarms. . 2
Biscuits 2 " Apparatus 4
Blacklead , 2 Elevators '2
Blacking 1 Embroideries 3
Bolts and Nuts 2 Engines 8
Bonnet Shapes 2 Envelopes 4
Boots and Shoes 19 Essential Oils 3
Boot Uppers 2 Excelsior 1
Boxes 9 Fences \ 2
Brass Fixtures 16 Files 2
Bricks 44 Fire Extinguishers 1
Bricks (Pressed) 1 Fringes and Tassels 2
B"dges 2 Furs 4
Broom Handles 1 Furnaces 15
Brushes 14 Furniture 13
Carpets 3 Galvanic Batteries 4
Carriages and Waggons 37 Galvanized Iron 12
CattleFood 3 Gas Appliances 1
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892.
265
Gas Fixtures 7
Glass Signs 1
Glass (Stained) 4
Gloves 2
Gold Leaf 1
Hammocks 1
Hardware 2
Harness 37
Harps 1
Hats and Caps /
Hat Blocks 1
Heating Apparatus 11
Horse and Waggon Covers 4
Hose (Rubber) , 3
Hosiery 3
Ink 4
Ice Cream Freezers 2
Iron Fencing 5
Iron Founders 15
Jewellery Cases 2
Knit Goods , 4
Knitting Machines 1
Laces (Corset and Shoe] 1
Ladders 3
Lasts 2
Lead Works 3
Letter Files 3
Lumber 40
Machinery 8
Mantels 8
Marble 5
Mats 4
Mattrasses 14
Medals 2
Meters 1
Mill Machinery ... 4
Mirrors 2
Motors 2
Nails 1
Name Plates 1
Novelties 2
Office Furniture 7
Oils 13
Organs 7
Organ Reeds 1
Ornamental Glass 5
" Iron . 2
Overalls 2
Paints 3
Paper 7
Pattern Makers 7
Perfumery 2
Photo Mats and Mounts 2
Pianos 13
Piano Actions 2
" Keys *... 2
" Stools 1
" Strings 1
" Hammers 1
Pickles 7
Picture Frames 4
Plaster Ornaments 5
Plated Ware 5
Pleasure Boats 16
Ploughs 1
Printing Presses 2
Pottery 1
Pumps 4
Purses 1
Radiators 5
Rattan Goods 3
Rolling Mills 1
Rope and Twine 3
Rubber Goods 2
Rubber Stamps 5
Safes 1
Sample Cases 1
Sauces 3
Saws 3
Scales 1
Shirts 11
Shoddy / 1
Show Cases 4
Signs 2
Silverware 3
Sleighs (Children's) 2
Slippers 1
Soaps 8
Spool Cotton 1
Spring Beds . . ! 5
Spring Rollers 1
Stable Fittings 1
Steam Generators 1
Surgical Appliances 3
266 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Tobacco 1 Windmills 1
Tools 13 Whips 1
Trusses 6 Washboards 1
Twines 3 Window Shades 9
Trunks 3 Wire Mattrasses 2
Tinware 4 W ire Fencing 2
Umbrellas 2 Wire Works ' 7
Varnish 7 Wool Mats 1
Vinegar 6 Woollens 2:
Violins 1 Yarns 1
Wall Paper 1 Yeast a
Watch Cases 2
The Marquis of Dufferin and Ava.
In April, 1872, Lord Dufferin was appointed Governor-General
of Canada, and, with Lady Dufferin and suite, took up their
residence at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. Lady Dufferin quickly
secured the good-will and affection of the Canadian people, dis-
charging all the social duties which fell to her, presiding over
the vice-regal household with grace and dignity.
The Most Noble the Marquis of Dufferin and Ava, lately
appointed Warden of the Cinque Ports, has had extraordinary
honors conferred upon him during the past thirty years.
He now bears the following titles, besides the second highest
rank in the peerage: P.C., K.P., G.C.B., G.C.S.L, G.C.M.G.,
G.C.I.E., D.C.L., LL.D., F.RS.
The following is a list of the different important positions he
has filled : British Commissioner in Syria, 1860 ; Under Secre-
tary of State for India, 1864-66 ; Under Secretary of State for
War, 1866-67 ; Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 1868-72 ;
Governor-General of Canada, 1872-78 ; Ambassador at St.
, Petersburg, 1879-81 ; Special Commissioner to Egypt, 1882-83;
Viceroy of India, 1884-88 ; Ambassador at Rome, 1888-91 ;
Ambassador at Paris, 1891.
The following is a copy of a letter lately received from the
Marquis, with his photograph :
BRITISH EMBASSY,
ROME, Nov. 17th, 1891.
MY DEAR MR. TAYLOR,— I am glad to learn that you are*
THE MARQUIS OF DUFFERIN AND AVA.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 267
about to publish a new edition of your interesting book on
Toronto, and I have much pleasure in enclosing the photograph
you are good enough to ask for.
Yours very truly,
(Signed) DUFFERIN AND AVA.
Meeting in the Academy of Music.
"A British subject I was born, and a British subject I will die."
—Eight Hon. Sir John A. Macdonald, G.C.B., P.O., etc.
The above words are immortal, as the memory of the great
man who uttered them, and will be the magical talisman which
will bind together in consecration all the loyal men of every
creed and nationality in this grand Dominion, which has been
cemented and founded by his master-hand and the hands of
those associated with him in the great work of Confederation,
The greatest political event in the history of Toronto was
undoubtedly the reception of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir
Charles Tupper in the Academy of Music, in 1891.
Never before was a platform crowded with so many repre-
sentative men as surrounded Sir John A. Macdonald on that
occasion ; the building, from pit to top-gallery, was packed with
an enthusiastic audience. Thousands outside vainly endeavored
to effect an entrance, yet lingered around the spot hoping to catch
a glimpse of the Grand Old Man after hours of patient waiting.
The greeting he received amidst showers of bouquets, and
the cheers of the vast multitude were touching in the extreme,
and in consideration of its being his last reception of a public
character in Toronto, can never be forgotten by those who had
the pleasure of being present.
Death of Sir John A. Macdonald.
TO THE MIGHTY DEAD.
** Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen ihis day in
Israel ? "—2 SAMUEL iii. 38.
Lay flowers upon that bier —
Flowers — white their sheen ;
'Tho' worn with age and sear,
" Those hands are clean."
268 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Fold them upon his breast
As if in sleep.
The Chieftain sinks to rest,
And millions weep.
Bravely the fight was fought,
From youth to age ;
Nobly the palm was sought,
With stainless gage.
Gold ! what were gold to him,
Of men a King ?
Earth's baubles were but dim ;-
Their glare unseen.
No more that hand shall guide
His country's barque ;
No more with kindly tide
Shall throb that heart.
Sealed are those lips that told
To tingling ears,
Our country's "Fort to hold "
Throughout the years.
From us a limb is torn, —
Our noblest shred ;
And friend and foeman mourn
The mighty dead.
But yet, such is not death
Laid in the tomb,
While in the living breath
Fresh praises bloom.
When homes, from sea to sea,
Vast throngs shall claim,
Their sweetest song shall be
Macdonald's name.
And while that flag floats free,
In taintless sky,
His mem'ry still must be
Our battle cry !
— Duncan Anderson, in Quebec Chronicle.
TORONTO FKOM 1887 TO 1892. 269
At 10.15 on Saturday, 6th of June, 1891, the bells tolled
out the mournful news that Canada's greatest statesman had
passed away for ever.
Only a few days before, he filled his accustomed place in Par-
liament, and discharged the important duties pertaining to his
position.
From the Atlantic to the Pacific all Canada was plunged into
the deepest grief, and with the lightning's flash, to the very
heart of the British Empire and to Britain's Queen, went
the sad tidings that one of the greatest men that ever lived,
having accomplished his life's great mission, had been called to
his reward.
The funeral of Sir John A. Macdonald was conducted with
great and solemn state. The procession from Earnscliffe to the
Senate Chamber of the Parliament Buildings was on a grand
scale, every class of the people being represented from all parts
of the Dominion.
Whilst the body lay in state, the crowds who pressed to take
a last look at the face of the illustrious dead, moved ceaselessly
from morning till 10.30 at night.
Shortly before the Senate chamber was closed to the general
public an incident occurred which must be regarded as the
most significant since the body of the Premier was brought
from Earnscliffe. At that moment Sir Casimir Gzowski walked
slowly forward and placed on the casket a beautiful wreath of
white and yellow roses from Her Majesty the Queen. Attached
to the wreath was a card bearing this inscription :
From Her Majesty Queen Victoria.
In Memory of Her Faithful and Devoted Servant.
It is not remembered that Her Majesty has ever before sent
any such tribute of affectionate regard to Canada or any other
place.
At the request of himself he was buried in Kingston beside
his relatives, and the funeral was a most imposing spectacle.
The state ceremonial of the two days closed the page of natural
270 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
history which Sir John A. Macdonald made, illustrated, and
adorned, and, amid the tears of a sorrowing people, the great
Chieftain was laid to rest in his native city.
All through his illness, Her Majesty the Queen evinced the
deepest interest in his condition, and, when the crisis was past,
the most intense sympathy with the stricken and bereaved
widow.
Addresses and letters of condolence poured in from all orders,
conferences, municipalities, societies, and prominent individuals.
COMMERCIAL STATISTICS.
Purchases of British Products.
Per head.
Foreign Countries — £ s. D,
Russia 0 1 3
Italy 0 5 5
Germany 0 8 3
France 0 8 8
United States , 0 10 3
British Countries —
Australasia 5 19 §
British America 1 8 9
Cape Colony 4 H 9
Manufactured Exports from Great Britain.
To Foreign To British
Countries. Countries.
Cotton Manufactures £34,490,800 £27,598,642
Iron and steel manufactures 15,665,899 9,064,711
Woollen manufactures 15,701,001 4,717,480
Machinery, etc., manufactures 12,315,819 4,094,842
Linen and jute manufactures 7,219,618 1,157,790
Apparel, etc 1,532,433 5,616,155
Alkali and chemicals 4,217,776 578,144
Carriages, etc ., . ' 2,001,515 1,028,050'
Hardware and cutlery 1,599,263 1,165,183
Boots and shoes 565,545 1,682,491
Earthen and china ware 1,547,886 692,624
Silk goods 1,548,674 680,'692
Miscellaneous, under £2,000,000 17,887,776 14,873,488
£116,294,045 £72,948,292.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 271
Canadian Imports and Exports, to 30th June, 1891.
From other parts of the British Empire to 30th June, 1891. .$44,438,088
From foreign countries 68,862,036
Exports to other parts of the British Empire 53,357,865
Exports to foreign countries 44,198,510
Exports from Toronto— the Produce of Canada.
1885. 1891. Increase. Decrease.
Produce of the mine $1,050 $1,050
Produce of the fisheries $914 2,020 1,106
Produce of the forest 308,463 504,940 196,477
Animals and their produce . . 991,874 825,259 $166,515
Agricultural products 1,284,657 1,222,779 61,878
Manufactures 289,276 736,234 446,958
Miscellaneous 16,573 1,758 .... 14,815
82,891,757 $3,294,040
Imports to Toronto for Year Ending June 30th, 1891.
Free . $4,378,728
Dutiable 14,974,408
Total $19,353,136
Duty $4,076,926
Toronto Post-Office Statistics.
(For year ending 31st December, 1890.)
As the post-office is the most popular of our Government
departments, the following figures will be read with interest : —
Amount of money-orders issued $585,908 79
Amount of money-orders paid $1,854,083 14
Number of orders paid 156,319
Amount deposited in Post-office Savings Bank. $583,098 00
Number of letters delivered by carriers, exclu-
sive of box-holders and general delivery . . 14,004,643
Number of newspapers delivered 3,440,803
Number of letters posted ; . . 13,273,828
Number of cards posted 3,526,094
Amount of postage-stamps sold $365,152 .02
Number of letter carriers 112
Number of street letter boxes 191
Number of branch post-offices 16
Number of street letter-box collectors . , 12
272
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Comparative Increase of Population in Eight Canadian
Cities in
1871.
Twenty
1881.
Years.
1891. Increase.
Montreal 107,225 140,747 216,650 109,425
Toronto 56,O92 86,415 181,220 125,128
Quebec 59,699 60,440 63,090 3,391
Hamilton 26,716 35,961 48,980 22,264
Ottawa 21,545 27,412 44,154 22,609
Halifax 29,582 36,100 38,566 8,984
Winnipeg 241 7,985 25,642 25,401
Vancouver 13,685 13,685
Comparative Dominion Statistics for the Years 1868
and 1890.
1868. 1890.
Revenue $13,687,928 $39,879,925
Expenditure $13,486,092 $35,994,031
Post-offices 3,638 7,913
Letters 18,100,000 94,100,000
Newspapers 18,860,000 70,983,121
Shipping inwards vessels 8,038 15,722
Shipping outwards vessels 9,778 15,402
Imports $73,459,644 $121,858,241
Exports 57,567,888 96,749,119
Chartered banks (assets) 77,872,257 254,628,694
Post-office Savings Banks —
Number 81 494
Depositors 2,102 112,321
Balance $204,588 $21,990,053
How Canada has prospered under the National Policy of
protection to native industries may be learned from the fol-
lowing comparison between the years 1878 and 1890 : —
1878. 1890. Increase.
Miles of railway 6,143 13,988 7,845
Tons of shipping 23,102,551 41,243,251 18,140,700
Production of coal (tons) 1,152,000 3,000,000 1,848,000
Letters and post-cards carried by
Post-office Department 50,840,000 100,000,000 49,160,000
Deposits in chartered and savings
banks $88,995,126 $197,895,452 $108,900,326
Money orders 7,130,000 11,907,862 4,777,862
Bank-note circulation 29,786,805 47,417,071 17,631,266
Value exports of Canadian cheese 3,997,521 9,372,212 5,374,691
Value exports of Canadian cattle.. 1,152,334 6,949,417 5,797,08$
Value exports of Canadian sheep.. 699,337 1,234,347 538,010
Value exports of manufactured wood 13,908,629 20,659,348 6,750,719
Value exports of home manufactures 18,182,647 25,530,003 7,347,356
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 273
Total Value of Canada's Exports to Great Britain
and the United States.
From 1873 to 1889, inclusive, the total value of goods ex-
ported from Canada to the United States was $617,091,000.
During the same period the value of Canadian products ex-
ported to Great Britain was $730,235,000.
During the seventeen years covered by this period the British
market took, therefore, $133,144,000 more of Canadian exports
than did that of the United States.
Members of the Dominion Cabinet, 1892.
Premier and President of Council Hon. Sir J. J.C.Abbott, K.C.M.G.
Minister of Public Works M J. A. Ouimet.
Minister of Railways n John G. Haggart.
Minister of Militia n Mackenzie Bow ell. •
Secretary of State » J. C. Patterson.
Minister of Agriculture
Minister of Inland Revenue
Postmaster-General
Minister of the Interior
Minister of Finance
Minister of Marine and Fisheries
Minister of Justice
John Carling.
John Costigan.
Sir Adolphe Caron.
Edgar Dewdney.
George E. Foster.
Charles H. Tupper.
Sir John Thompson.
Without Portfolio M Frank Smith.
Port of Montreal.
Statement showing the nationality and tonnage of sea-going
vessels that arrived in port during the season of 1891, which
were navigated by 23,907 seamen : —
Nationality. No. of Vessels. Tonnage.
British 684 887,092
Norwegian 5 4,814
German 20 34,409
American 11 6,445
French 1 900
Dutch 2 2,834
Italian 1 872
Spanish 1 1,291
Total 725 938,657
Of the above, 631 were steamers and 94 sailing vessels.
274
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Shipping of the World.
Number and tonnage of all steam vessels of one hundred
tons and upwards owned by each of the several countries of the
world, registered at " Lloyd's " : —
Number. Tonnage.
British 5,756 8,167,762
The Colonies 839 485,781
6,595 8,653,543
United States 460 587,442
French 542 848,522
German A 806 1,054,899
Italian 217 303,924
Norwegian 473 305,236
Spanish 390 423,254
2,888 3,523,277
Excess of British over all other countries
combined 3,707 5,130,266
SAILING VESSELS. Number.
British 3,342
Colonies 1,969
5,311
United States 2,897
French 803
German 1,058
Italian 1,357
Norwegian 2,921
Spanish 473
Austro-Hungarian 218
Danish 537
Dutch 352
Russian 934
Swedish
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 275
Comparative Population and Finances of Toronto in
1879 and 1889.
Population in 1889 (estimated) 200,000
1879 73,813
Increase in ten years, 171 per cent _ 126,187
Value of Assessable Property, as per Assessment taken in 1889 $136,526,017
" " 1879.... 50,166,639
Increase in ten years, 172 per cent $86,359,378
Rate of Taxation for the year 1889. . . . 14£ mills on the dollar of Assessment.
" 1879. ...17i
Decrease 3 mills.
Revenue, other than Taxation, 1889 $557,050
1879 267,800
Increase $289,250
Revenue from Taxation, 1888 $2,004,092
1879 900,355
Increase $1,103,737
Gross increase in ten years, (nearly) 120 per cent $1,392,987
Estimated value of property owned by the City Corporation, 1889. $11,000,000
1879. 5,500,000
Increase $5,500,000
General City Debt, 1889 $11,470,940
1879 . . 6,075,791
Increase , $5,395,149
Total Assessment for 1892 $151,158,606
Mayors of Toronto.
William Lyon Mackenzie, R. B. Sullivan, George Gurnett,
John Powell, George Munro, Henry Sherwood, William Henry
Boulton, John G. Bowes, Joshua G. Beard, John Beverley Rob-
inson, G. W. Allan, John Hutchinson, David B. Reid, Adam
Wilson, Francis H. Medcalf, James E. Smith, S. B. Harman,
George D'Arcy Boulton, Joseph Sheard, Alexander Manning,
Angus Morrison, James Beaty, jun., W. B. McMurrich, Arthur
R. Boswell, Alexander Manning, W. H. Rowland, E. F. Clarke,
and R. J. Fleming.
276
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Value of Buildings Erected during the Years
1882 $1,757,630 1887 $1,276,600
1883 1,506,740 1888 2,063,795
1884 2,033,235 1889 2,356,174
1885 3,449,375 1890 2,364,750
1886 } 1,198,220 1891 4,388,900
Of the buildings erected in 1891, the proportion is : —
1,010 dwellings $2,689,300
37 rough-cast 29,800
121 stores and factories 440,900
16 warehouses 168,500
6 churches, schools and missions 117,500
Hotels and stables 56,300
Miscellaneous alterations and additions 258,600
Athenaeum Club Rooms 32,000
Dominion Bank, Spadina Avenue 20,000
Temperance Coffee House 19,000
£ooderham & Worts' building 66,000
Aged Women's Home 18,000
Young Women's Christian Guild 25,000
St. George's Society Hall 18,000
I.O.O.F. Hall and stores 30,000
Victoria University 200,000
Toronto University 200,000
Parliament Buildings, and Court House and City
Hall, estimated at 3,000,000
Foreign Consuls in Toronto.
Germany Samuel Nordheimer*
United States Charles R. Pope.
" (Vice). C. A. Hirschfelder.
France A. T. Fulton.
Netherlands B. Homer Dixon.
(Vice) Albert Nordheimer.
Spain (Vice) Enoch Thompson.
Brazil (Vice) George Musson.
Italy (Hon.) A. M. F. Gianelli.
Norway and Sweden (Vice) Saurin McMurray.
Argentine Republic Nicol Kingsmill.
(Vice) Frederic Nicholls.
Liberia (Vice) Enoch Thompson.
Hawaii Enoch Thompson.
" (Vice) Lieut. -Col. Geo. A. Shaw.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892.
27T
Toronto Weather Statistics.
1885. 1886. 1887.
Mean temperature 41.57 43.71 44.14
Highest temperature 88.6 89.5 97.2
Lowest temperature —16. 1 —22.8 —16.6 -
Amount of snow in inches . . 65.6 73.5 77.9
Number of days of snow 73 66 78
Total amount of rain 26.351 27.726 17.909
Number of days of rain 103 112 106
Number of fair days 203 196 203
Number of days completely
clouded 65 74 76
Number of hours of bright
^unshine • 2,018 2,034 2,063
Number of hours of possible
sunshine 4,463 4,463 4,463
1888, 1889.
45.70 45.44
92 88.7
-16.1 —11.3
34.6
83
22.819
133
175
66.5
60
24.575
127
187
1890.
45.02-
89.4
—2.7
52.6
81
32.110-
145-
159
58 79 68
2,048 1,909 1,977
4,474 4,463 4,463
Minimum and maximum temperature at different points in Canada on
December 13th, 1891 :— Edmonton, 20°— 30°; Qu'Appelle, 22°— 28°; Winnipeg,
11°— 28°; Port Arthur, 26°— 48°; Toronto, 36°— 48°; Kingston, 38°— 16°; Mon-
treal, 36°— 46°; Quebec, 18°— 38°; Halifax, 16°— 42°.
Churches in Toronto, 1892.
e>
Episcopal 42'
Methodist 39
Presbyterian 34
Baptist 18
Congregational 12
Roman Catholic 11
Hebrew 2
Plymouth Brethren 2
Disciples 2
Reformed Episcopal i.
Unitarian 2
Lutheran 1
Catholic Apostolic 1
Miscellaneous 20
Total 187
In 1886.. . 110
Increase 77T
278 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Toronto Water Works.
Toronto is supplied with water from Lake Ontario by means
of pumping engines, manufactured by Messrs. Inglis & Hunter,
of this city, having a capacity of 12,000,000 gallons per twenty-
four hours ; also two Worthington Duplex Engines of a capacity
of 12,000,000, making a .total of 24,000,000 gallons. The build-
ing of the Water Works in which they are placed is a handsome
structure at the edge of the bay.
The reservoir at Eose Hill, from which the water is dis-
tributed, is beautifully situated to the north of the city. The
wonderful growth of the city will be seen by a comparison of
the following statistics with the system in 1847 :
WATER SUPPLY FOR 1890.
Population supplied from Water Works (Estimated) 200,000
Average daily consumption 17,833,600
Number of gallons consumed for year 6,277,605,920
Gallons, per day, to each inhabitant
Number of hydrants 2,708
Number of horse-troughs
Number of drinking fountains
Number of hoists
Number of water meters 1,598
Number of services 36,255
Miles of Mains 237|
Revenue $409,788 26
Expenditure 344,906 84
It is interesting to notice that in 1847 there was no hoist of
any kind in any building in Toronto. All goods and furniture
were carried to the different floors, while passengers had to
walk up stairs. The first two hoists were of the old wheel and
rope pattern, and one was placed in the present General Trusts
Company's building by Messrs. Ross, Mitchell & Co., and the other
in the warehouse at present occupied by Mr. P. Jacobi by
Taylor & Stevenson in 1853.
Toronto Gas Works.
The Gas Works of Toronto were originated and built by the
late Albert Furniss, in 1842, who was also the builder of the
Water Works. The present Consumers' Gas Company origin-
ated in 1847, and the first meeting of the subscribers for stock
TORONTO FEOM 1887 TO 1892. 279
was held on the 29th October, 1847, when Directors were ap-
pointed for the management of the Company. The Act of
Incorporation was passed in 1848. The Directors had not pro-
ceeded far with their arrangements for the construction of
the Works before they ascertained that the Gas Works then
in use could be purchased, and they unanimously decided on
concluding the bargain for their purchase. The late Charles
Berczy, Postmaster, was the first President of the Company.
The Directors in 1852 were Charles Berczy, Hugh Miller, John
T. Smith, David Patterson, J. Arnold, M Betley, I. C. Gilmour,
W. Mathers, S. Alcorn, E. C. Hancock, S. Platt, and James
Strange. When the Company took over the Gas Works the
price of gas was $5 per thousand, net, besides a large meter
rent, and the quality from ten to twelve candles.
On September 30th. 1847, there were one hundred and sixty-
four street lamps and three hundred and seventeen gas con-
sumers, and the total amount of rental for gas for fifteen
months — two quarters at 25s. and three quarters at 20s. —
amounted to only £4,619 7s. lOd. The first manager was
Mr. John Watson, who only occupied the position for a short
time, when he was succeeded by the late Henry Thompson, who
occupied the position until 1874, when he was succeeded by W.
H. Pearson. The gas manufactured up to September 30th>
1854, was 14,000,000 cubic feet.
TABLE FOR YEAR ENDING 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1891.
Number of street lamps : 1,287
" • « " 1890 3,448
Decrease 2,161
Total mileage of mains 207
Meters, 1891 14,838
« 1890 13,242
Increase 1,596
Gas Rental, 1891 $488,946 25
« » 1890 499,97903
Decrease $11,032 78
Output of gas in Toronto, in 1842 1,146,000 cubic feet.
<< « " 1891 500,414,000
Price of gas to ordinary customers $1 12| per 1,000 feet.
" " large ' " 1 00" " "
280 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The City Council, having discontinued the use of 2,200 street
lamps, and substituted electric light, accounts for the decrease.
President, James Austin, Esq. ; Vice-President, L. W. Smith,
Esq., D.C.L., Q.C. ; Directors, Samuel Alcorn, James Austin,
M. Baldwin, G. S. C. Bethune, Henry Cawthra, Geo. R R.
Oockburn, M.A., M.P., I. C. Gilmour, George Gooderham, James
Scott, L. W. Smith, D.C.L., Q.C., Thos. R Wood and Hon. Frank
Smith ; General Manager and Secretary, W. H. Pearson.
Toronto Railway Company.
In the spring of 1891 the franchise owned by Messrs. Smith
& Kiely having expired, the entire property was valued by
arbitrators, who awarded the Company $1,453,788. This amount
having been paid by the city, the road was run by the City
Council for several months pending the transfer to a new
company.
The present syndicate took over the whole property at the
above valuation. The gentlemen composing the syndicate are
Messrs. J. W. Kiely, H. A. Everett, Wm. McKenzie and C.
C. Woodworth. As the system is in a transition state, awaiting
the decision as to the future motive power, perfect arrangements
can scarcely be expected, but it is unfortunate that one most
important condition should have been overlooked, and which is
insisted upon in every city in Europe, namely, the rule of
limiting the number of passengers. If this can be done in
Europe, it can as easily be done in Canada, only requiring
sufficient cars to accommodate the passengers, and this should
be insisted on by all who pay a fare for a seat, to which every
passenger is entitled.
Toronto Post Office in 1892.
No greater evidence of the growth and the expansion of the
commerce of Toronto can be given than by a comparison of the
business of the Post Office Department during the period
covered by the present sketch.
When the present office of the Receiver-General, on Toronto
Street, was built for a new post office, none but the most san-
POST OFFICE, TORONTO.
282 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
guine doubted its capacity for all its requirements for many
years to come, but while it was still a comparatively new build-
ing it was soon found to be quite inadequate to the rapidly-
growing business of the city, and in 1873 the present beautiful
structure was erected.
A more suitable situation ' could not have been chosen than
that on which it stands, surrounded, as it is, by buildings in
every way worthy of the neighborhood, and in close proximity
to the business portion of the city.
The building is of three stories, faced with cut stone, elabo-
rately ornamented, and the internal arrangements are admirably
adapted to the never-ceasing business transacted.
A side door at the western end of the building leads, by a
handsome staircase, to the offices of Mr. M. Sweetnam, Chief
Post Office Inspector, and Mr. F. D. Barwick, District Inspector,
and their assistants and other officials.
Toronto Board of Trade
Was incorporated in February, 1875, the Council being com-
posed of the following gentlemen : Thomas Clarkson, President ;
E. F. Whittemore, Vice-President ; John Harrington, Treasurer ;
Charles Robertson, Secretary ; Messrs. A. T. Howland, James
Brown, jr., Wm. McMaster, William Henderson, John Shaw,
Charles Robertson, J. G. Worts, T. D. Harris, Rice Lewis, George
A. Piper, Henry Fowler, John Henderson.
OFFICERS FOR 1892.
President, Hugh N. Baird ; 1st Vice-President, Hugh Blain ;
2nd Vice-President, S. F. McKinnon ; Treasurer, George Maclean
Rose ; Secretary, Edgar A. Wills, J.P. ; Council, W. Christie, D.
R. Wilkie, W. D. Matthews, W. R. Brock, Warring Kennedy,
A. A. Allan, Geo. H. Bertram, G. M. Bosworth, A. B. Lee, B.
Cumberland, John Donogh, R. W. Elliott, W. B. Hamilton, S.
Caldecott, John Earls ; Board of Arbitration, Geo. A. Chapman,
Jos. Oliver, R. J. Stark, W. Galbraith, Thos. McLaughlin, J. D.
Laidlaw, S. Crane, J. H. G. Hagarty, Thos. Flynn, J. H. Sproule,
Chas. Pearson, R. S. Baird ; Representatives on Harbor Commis-
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 283
sion, J. T. Matthews, A. M. Smith ; Representatives on Indus-
trial Exhibition Commission, Jas. Carruthers, W. B. Hamilton,
W. C. Mathews ; Solicitor to the Board, W. H. Beatty. Mem-
bership, 922. Income for 1891, $12,572 57.
Death of Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale.
"MY SON IS DEAD."
[" My beloved son passed away at nine o'clock to-day." — THE
PRINCE OF WALES to the Lord Mayor of London, January 14th,
1892. — The bells of St. Paul's are never tolled save on the occa-
sion of the death of an heir to the throne.]
" My loved son is dead, my best
Beloved, he sleeps and is at rest. "
So wrote our future king,
Now let St. Paul's bells ring
And let the Nation know,
A Nation bowed with woe,
That Albert Victor's dead.
Oh father ; gentle mother ; wife
That soon would be, had his young life
Been longer spared to thee,
Accept we pray, our sympathy,
While tolls the solemn bell
Whose brazen voice does tell %
That Albert Victor's dead.
Oh, Empress — Queen, whose widowed heart
Is called upon again to part
With one who'd earned your love ;
What can we do, or say, to prove
Our hearts go out to thee
In deepest sympathy,
While clangs the brazen bell
That does to Britons tell
" Your Albert Victor's dead."
Oh, Sailor Prince, of less renown
Than him, who laid aside the crown,
And let the sceptre fall ;
Hear you, the Nation's call,
284 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
That bids you take his place
In Britain's royal race ?
Still tolls the solemn bell,
Whose broken voices tell
That Albert Victor's dead.
Oh, Britain's sons, where'er you dwell,
Mourn riot your prince ; with him all's well.
He has but gone before :
He's reached the further shore,
And 'fore the Throne of Grace
He stands with smiling face,
While heavenly anthems swell
And angel voices tell
" Our Albert Victor lives."
— C. H. CLARKE.
Toronto, 1892.
No event since the death of the Prince Consort, on the 14th
December, 1861, has caused the heart of the nation to be moved
with such profound grief as on the 14th of January, 1892, has
the sudden death of the eldest son of the Prince and Princess
of Wales. The feeling was intensified by the fact that all
arrangements had been made for his marriage with Princess
Mary of Teck.
On the news being circulated, messages of condolence poured
in from most of the rulers of the world, and telegrams from all
the European Capitals displayed the most affectionate sympathy,
accompanied with visits of Royal and diplomatic representatives
to English Embassies all over the world, expressing the pro-
found regret on the occasion. It was intended to have a
funeral procession through London, but on account of the pre-
valence of influenza, and the danger of exposing the troops, the
programme was abandoned, and after most affecting scenes and
funeral ceremonies at Sandringham, the body was conveyed to
Windsor via London. The services in St. George's Chapel
were most solemn and impressive. The procession from the
railway station moved amid the booming of the minute guns
on the Round Tower of the Castle, and the funeral marches
played by the bands of the Life Guards and the 10th Hussars.
The Prince of Wales, Prince George of Wales, and the Duke
t
TORONTO FKOM 1887 TO 1892. 285
of Fife led the mourners, amongst whom were the Duke of
Connaught, Duke of Edinburgh, the three Princes of Teck, and
a number of distinguished royal personages. As the Earl of
Latham, the Lord Chamberlain, swung back the crimson curtain
at the door of this grand and historical Chapel, the scene of
some of the most memorable events in English history, the
procession halted, while the heavily-draped gun carriage, bearing
the body of the deceased Duke, drew up. The ceremony was
witnessed from a window in the Queen's gallery by the Prin-
cess of Wales and her daughters, and Princess Victoria Mary
of Teck.
In the evening the coffin was removed from St. George's
Chapel to Albert Memorial Chapel. Here it was placed between
the cenotaph of the late Prince Consort and the recumbent
figure of the Duke of Albany. Memorial services were held in
Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's, and in all the Capitals of
Europe.
Toronto in 1892.
The year 1892 finds Toronto with a new division of wards, or
districts; the former thirteen, with three aldermen representing
each ward, have been reduced to six districts, with four alder-
men to each.
The election resulted in the choice of ex- Alderman Fleming
for Chief Magistrate. His name is already on record as the
promoter of the by-law for the reduction of the number of
liquor licenses.
The chief election tactics consisted of abundance of promises of
economy and retrenchment, which are very desirable, provided
they do not tend to check progress and advancement.
The scriptural statement that " there is that withholdeth
more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty," is as true as the
converse that " there is that scattereth, and yet increaseth."
While the number of vacant houses was prominently referred
to during the election campaign, by a strange incongruity,
neither from press or platform was a word uttered to show how
these empty houses were to be occupied. While our newspapers
286 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
owe their existence to the business houses, who wisely advertise
their goods, the attractions of Toronto are literally unknown
abroad.
All that has been said as to the dawn of 1888, might be
repeated of 1892, with emphasis, of Toronto as a great com-
mercial centre. The results of the superabundant harvest of
1891 must naturally flow from the surrounding country into the
banks and warehouses. Not only has there been such crops as
never before, but the unprecedented fact exists that prices are not
reduced by the abundance. Often, during the last forty years,
have farmers complained that when crops were good prices
were low, all for want of a market. In this respect the change
is marvellous. The facilities for transport have secured to the
farmer high prices when his crops are large, as well as when not
so abundant.
The prospects of a fresh impetus being given to all branches
of trade and manufactures were never so good; and if the
population only increases in the same ratio, as even last year,
many houses at present vacant will be occupied, while building
will go on to accommodate the further influx from year to year.
While millions of money are waiting for investment, no
effort is made to secure its influx, from abroad, for develop-
ing our resources, but on the contrary, the scattering of infor-
mation that would undoubtedly lead to that result is steadily
opposed, and the true panacea for the ailments of the city per-
sistently refused.
There appears to be two conflicting elements at work. The
enterprising, progressive men, who are far-seeing and patriotic,
desire to see our population increase, by establishing factories,
and utilizing our facilities for the development of our immense
natural resources ; but their influence is counteracted by a class
which is opposed to any increase in our population. This class,
like the bear sucking his paw, or boys trading knives, would
have the citizens live on each other, or on our present resources,
and so check all further progress. Unfortunately this class so
far controls a certain portion of the press. Principle is laid
aside for expediency, and Toronto suffers from her domestic
JAMES BEATY, ESQ., Q.C., D.C.L.,
Ex-M.P., Ex-Mayor.
TORONTO FKOM 1887 TO 1892. 287
t
foes, who will make no effort to publish her attractions outside,
especially in Europe, from where alone we may expect capital to
flow into our city.
It is in vain to attempt to convince these individuals that
Toronto is very little known in Europe, compared for instance,
with Chicago, which by advertising herself, is making un-
paralleled strides in population, while the great mass of people
in Europe do not know whether Toronto is in Canada or the
United States, which, on the other side the Atlantic, are made
to constitute the Continent of America ; and we allow them to
ignore Canada as having a large share, and Canadians are denied
a distinct nationality, while Toronto is left out as unimportant,
all of which it is in our power to remedy, if the proper means
are used.
In the last conversation the writer had with the late Alder-
man Gillespie, who was an admitted economist, he stated that
the proposition or suggestion to be found in another place, to
form a committee for the purpose of promoting the highest class
of immigration to the city, and even the appointment of a
permanent commissioner in Great Britain to promote this object,
was the best thing he had ever heard on the subject.
For "how can they hear without a preacher" who will
show men of means the advantages we offer for establishing
smelting works and other industries, and so create a hive of
industry on the banks of the Don and Ashbridge's Bay, and
increase the number of factories in and around the city, thereby
adding largely to the population.
Forty-five Years Retrospect.
In "calling back" the wonderful growth and progress of
Toronto from 1892 to 1847, or vice versa, the following facts
and summary statement of what the writer knows from per-
sonal observation may be interesting.
The population has grown from 22,000 to 200,000 ; the few
ill-paved streets of mud, and so-called macadam, have given
place to the following :
288 TORONTO "CALLED BACK.'
TORONTO STREET STATISTICS.
1889 1891 Increase. Decrease.
Total street mileage 230 242 12
Cedar roadways 80 117* 37 £
Macadam 45 35j .. 9J
Stone blocks 75 .34 . . .41
Asphalt 25 6£ 6J
Sewers 150 220 70
Sidewalks 160 420 260
The supply of water by carts, for domestic purposes and ex-
tinguishment of fires, has improved to the extent as supplied
by the latest report of the Water-works Department, given
with other statistics.
The volunteer fire brigade, with a few hand engines supplied
as above, and one small fire-hall, has developed into a well-
's organized system of paid firemen, with splendid equipments,
/' spacious fire-halls, and every necessary appliance. The old
fire-alarm by church bells, which kept up their clatter during
the continuance of the fire, has been superseded by the fire-
telegraph system, by which the location of the fire is instantly
indicated, and horses and waggons, ladders and hose, are off at
a moment's notice, while hydrants are ready for use at every
point with a plentiful supply of water.
The sanitary condition of the city may be known by the
introduction of water into every house, and conveniences pre-
viously unknown, while drainage, sewerage, and all modern
facilities for ventilation, plumbing, asphalting and other improve-
ments, to ensure health and comfort in the home, were entirely
unknown forty-five years ago. The introduction of gas, by the
present company, is also within this period, the oil lamps
formerly in use contrasting strongly with the present system
of gas and electric lighting.
~^fhe twenty-two churches of 1847 have increased to nearly
^ 200J The public buildings, consisting of the old Parliament
Block, Osgoode Hall and the City Hall, have multiplied so that
a special list is necessary to enumerate them, while hospitals,
homes for infants, boys and girls, incurables, and convalescents,
reformatories, refuges for the destitute, the infirm and needy, of
all classes, abound on every hand.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 289
The hourly omnibus to Yorkville contrasts very strongly with
the present tram car system, extending over 68.40 miles, and
employing 1,430 horses and 750 men, with 300 cars, while at
certain hours of the day tickets, of which eight are sold for
twenty-five cents, are available, while the maximum fare is five
cents. Other classes of tickets are sold at six for twenty-five
cents, or twenty-five for a dollar.
The system of transfer from one line to another anywhere, in
a continuous journey, is a decided boon to the citizens, and in
many respects more advantageous to persons living -at a
distance than even the low penny fares in Britain, which are
increased on long distances. The testimony in favor of the
trolley system is so overwhelming, there is little doubt of its
being adopted for the present.
Whole districts which, in 1847, were either open commons,
swamp, bush, or sand hills, have become our finest residential
streets, whose beautiful mansions are the admiration of all
visitors. Jarvis street was just being laid out, and the writer
pressed to purchase the choice of lots at $3 a foot. This was
the price paid by the late Messrs. John Harrington and George
Morphy at that time, the lot of the former being the same on
which the residence of the late H. E. Clarke, M.P.P., stands.
Sherbourne street was a sand hill, and almost impassable. There
was only one house in Parkdale, and the streets west of the
Queen's Park, including St. George street, and all the north-
western district could only boast of a solitary cottage here and
there in a vast expanse of open country.
The system of taking orders from samples of British goods
inaugurated by the writer as senior partner of the firm of
Taylor & Stevenson, before any commercial travellers' associa-
tion was thought of, and years before the railroads were opened,
has developed into enormous organizations, of which the Toronto
Association contains 3,290 members, and in the Dominion a
total of 7,000. The first commercial trunk, after the opening of
the railroads, was made for the writer by the late H. E. Clarke,
and to get an idea of the wonderful progress in this respect, a
visit to the baggage-room of the Union Station, with its immense
290 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
piles of commercial baggage, will show the development of this
branch of commerce.
The travel on our, streets by public conveyances has grown
from the hourly omnibus on Yonge street to Yorkville, into the
present tram-car system, while the half-dozen old-fashioned cabs
have given place to public carriages and coupes that will com-
pare with private carriages in style and appointments.
The three clerks in the old post office, and a solitary letter-
carrier (who only delivered letters not called for, and charged
one cent for each), have increased to a system of regular delivery
by an army of carriers, and a postal service, generally, the most
extensive in the Dominion.
The opening of new parks and gardens has changed the whole
appearance of the city, at once beautifying and health-giving.
The Island, then a sandy desert, has become a place of beauty,
and a charming resort of incalculable value to the citizens, and
has become a suburb of the city, at least for summer residences.
Having just left a city where its botanical gardens, public
squares and suburban residences in summer presented a blaze of
beauty, by the cultivation of flowers in the highest state of per-
fection, nothing struck the writer so forcibly, and with such a
feeling of the rude, uncultured, and unfinished appearance of
Toronto, as the entire absence of a single flower-bed. In this
respect the contrast is most striking. The rivalry at present
existing to show the best collections of flowers and flowering
plants, and the variety displayed in parks, gardens and private
grounds, as well as in conservatories, marks the wonderful
advance in refinement and taste, as well as the educational
tendency amongst the young people, and in addition the general
effect in beautifying and adorning our streets and parks.
The telegraph system has had a marvellous development
throughout the Dominion, while the telephone ranks amongst
modern inventions as the most useful, and entirely undreamt of
forty-five years ago ; also the phonograph, although not ranking
amongst utilitarian discoveries, has added to the long list of
wonderful discoveries of science, which, if not all useful, are
valuable as affording pleasure and profitable amusement.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 291
The introduction of electricity for purposes of lighting, and so
effective in street illumination, and its application to the propul-
sion of street cars, and shortly to be adopted in our city, is
undoubtedly the greatest revolution which has taken place
during the past forty-five years. The discovery of coal oil, and
its general use for domestic purposes as a substitute for gas or
candle light, and lastly the natural gas wells by which we are
surrounded, complete the list of wonderful discoveries and
accessions to the comfort and conveniences of life at present
enjoyed.
Buildings Lately Completed and in Course of
Construction.
€anada Life Assurance Co. Young Women's Christian Guild Hall.
Traders Bank. Oddfellows' Hall.
Confederation Life Assurance Co. Upper Canada Colllege.
St. George's Society Hall. Sanatorium, Deer Park.
Atheneum. Municipal Buildings.
Athletic Club. Parliament Buildings.
Young Women's Christian Asso- Victoria Club.
ciation Building. Drill Shed.
Freehold Loan and Savings Co.
Forty-Eighth Highlanders.
The enrolment of a Highland Regiment, under the command
of Lieut.-Colonel J. I. Davidson, will be a memorable event in
the history of 1892, and gives immense satisfaction to citizens
of all nationalities, and will prove another guarantee of the
loyalty of Canadians to their own country, and their deter-
mination to defend the Empire against all attempts to destroy
its integrity. Highland volunteers are not the material out of
which annexationists are made.
Death of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.
Honorable Sir Alexander Campbell, K.C.M.G., died at Gov-
ernment House, Toronto, on 24th May, 1892.
292 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Appointment of the New Lieutenant-Governor of
Ontario.
Lieutenant-Colonel Honorable George A. Kirkpatrick was
appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario by Order-in-Council,
at Ottawa, on the 30th May, and was sworn in by the Governor-
General, the same day.
The Founders of Toronto's Greatness.
It is asserted by some that the land is the source of all
wealth, and again that labor alone creates capital, while others
argue that capital is that which creates capital. Neither of
these propositions, however, is true in the abstract. The soil
would be unproductive without labor, and labor equally so
without skill, and both ineffectual to promote prosperity in a
community without capital, to set in motion the forces of the
other elements. All allied harmoniously together are necessary
to secure greatness. In this application of industry and enter-
prise to the mercantile and manufacturing interests of Toronto,
capital has been created, employment has been given to labor,
and all classes have, in their own spheres, contributed to the
general prosperity.
There is no city in the world of its size that can boast of more
self-made men. The employees of yesterday have become the
employers of to-day, and even those who have never engaged in
industrial pursuits have, by the industry of others, indirectly
reaped the benefit in the enhancement of the value of their
property.
To " rise in the world " is a proper ambition. Young men, as
well as old, are tempted to think this the chief thing to be
aimed at, and toil in the belief that no one can be fairly said to
have " risen " unless his pockets are well filled.
Among these devotees a mighty fuss is made about the man
who has got to the " top of the tree," in forgetfulness of the
alternative that possibly the ground at its foot is the best place
for security, to say nothing of the fruit which may be picked
up there. Nevertheless, the man who can fill his purse is looked
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 293
_up to with honcoLand regard. He lives respected, and he dies
regretted. After his death he is spoken of as one who was
" worth " so much. The man who affects to despise wealth is
often a failure. The lucre standing to his neighbor's account in
the bank is "filthy," but he would not be afraid of dirtying his
own cheque book and purse wit'h it.
The " love " of money may be the root of all evil, but money
itself, properly used, in a civilized country, is a power which no
one will despise.
A sixpence is not a ]arge capital, but it is a credit when
earned, and a shame if stolen. Work is good, and it is a great
thing to have work recognized and paid for.
When a man distinctly contributes -to the wealth of the world
by making a morass into a garden, or the construction of a
road, or by planting trees, he has a right to receive recognition
in the shape of that medium which expresses wealth and worth.
Amongst those who have contributed to Toronto's greatness,
the mercantile and manufacturing firms referred to in these
pages have undoubtedly the first claim, both by creating
wealth, and diffusing it in the community.
The Manufacture of Pianos in Toronto, (y
In a work professing to give a sketch of the wonderful
growth and progress of Toronto, and the development of its
manufacturing industries, and also of its present character as
a "musical city," nothing can be more appropriate than to
refer to the manufacture of musical instruments, and especially
of pianos.
No better evidence of the advancement of Toronto in wealth,
culture and refinement could be found than in the existence in
her midst of extensive establishments for this branch of manu-
facture, and in the prospect of constantly increasing demand.
The specimens sent to the Indian and Colonial Exhibition in
1886 must have removed every trace of misconception as to
the state of society in the Queen City of the West, and have
shown a state of educational refinement that no other class of
exhibits could possibly do. These pianos found purchasers
NEW BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING, TORONTO.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 295
amongst the best judges in Great Britain, and are now being
used in the highest circles of musical society, including Windsor
Castle and other abodes of Royalty.
The Nordheimer Manufacturing Co. (Limited).
(LATE LANSDOWNE PIANO Co.)
Messrs. A. & S. Nordheimer having acquired such high repu-
tation for American pianos of the most celebrated makers, for
whom they have been the exclusive agents, amongst which are
the Chickering, Stodart & Dunham, the Steinway, Haines &
Gabler, they, notwithstanding the high rate of duty, their cus-
tomers being willing to pay the higher prices so as to secure an
instrument of first-class quality and excellence (some of these
pianos having been in use for forty years), still continue to
supply these instruments.
Nevertheless, to meet the demand for instruments less expen-
sive, and yet such as they could recommend, they established
the present firm for the purpose.
Their capital being practically unlimited, and their facilities
unsurpassed, a bright future is in prospect for the company,
and another star is added to the galaxy of Toronto's manu-
facturing establishments.
In addition to other advantages possessed by this firm, with
its great manufacturing facilities, they have secured several
important additions to their staff, including one of New York's
best tune and action regulators.
Hitherto the success of the Nordheimer Manufacturing Co.
has far exceeded their expectations, and, according to the judg-
ment of competent connoisseurs, they seem destined to play a
prominent role in the manufacture of pianos in Toronto.
The name of Nordheimer being associated with the highest
class of musical instruments from the Atlantic to the Pacific, is
itself a guarantee that nothing inferior will be shipped from
their establishments. With branches in Montreal, Ottawa,
Hamilton and London, all orders can be promptly executed.
Those wishing to secure a first-class instrument can do so by
296 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
visiting any of their warerooms, or ordering direct, as the fullest
reliance may be placed on the high and long-established repu-
tation of the firm.
SAMUEL NORDHEIMER, ESQ.,
the surviving partner of the firm of A. & S. Nordheimer, is at
present the only living representative of the prominent men A
who, half a century ago, were the leading business men of King l
Street. His personal influence had much to do with the build-
ing up of this extensive business, and the impetus given to the
musical taste of the people not only of Toronto but of the
Dominion. The first-class artists and musical stars who have
visited Toronto since the time of Jenny Lind have been brought
here chiefly through Messrs. Nordheimers' unwearied attention
in inducing them to come to Toronto, and when here in making
their performances successful.
Nor have Mr. Nordheimer's enterprise and influence been
confined to the promotion of a musical taste of a high order,
but in public and private his efforts have been directed to pro-
mote the prosperity of the city. The building owned by the
Canada Permanent Building Society on Toronto Street is a
monument to his enterprise, having been built when the sur-
roundings were most unpromising, and it is owing greatly to
the start then given that the street owes much of its present
beauty and magnificent buildings.
Mr. Nordheimer has occupied a large number of prominent
positions in the city, having been for many years President of
the Federal Bank, Vice-President and Director of the Canada
Permanent Building and Loan Company, Director of the Con-
federation Life Association, and for a length of time President
of the Philharmonic Society.
GLENEDYTH,
The seat of Samuel Nordheimer, Esq., is undoubtedly the finest
private mansion in Toronto or vicinity. The situation is
unequalled, except by the residence of the late Senator Mac-
donald on the same elevation.
The grounds of both are extensive and picturesque ; those of
SAMUEL NORDHEIMER, ESQ.,
Consul German Empire.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 297
Mr. Nordheimer comprise forty acres, beautifully wooded, and
with winding drives and grassy terraces remind the visitor of
the finest of English demesnes and ancestral halls. The house
is superbly furnished, and the entrance hall, lighted from a
dome, is strikingly beautiful in its finish and arrangement,
while drawing rooms, dining room, and boudoirs are gems of
artistic decoration.
The view from the front extends over the whole city and
across the lake to the Falls of Niagara.
MR. ALBERT NORDHEIMER,
son of Mr. Abraham Nordheimer, the senior partner of the
original firm, has succeeded his father, in the general business,
including the Nordheimer Manufacturing Company. He is
an accomplished musician, having been highly educated in
England and on the Continent. He promises to be quite as
popular and successful as his late father, and to attain to a
high position in Toronto.
Octavius Newcombe & Co.
While it is the glory of Toronto that her wealthy citizens
are chiefly those who have attained to their independent posi-
tion by their own industry or that of their parents, there are
a few who have contributed to her progress by bringing with
their families the means possessed in the old land, for the
purpose of investment here to better advantage.
Amongst these, that of the Newcombe family may be men-
tioned. From a home in Devonshire, surrounded with
every comfort, and even luxury, they removed to this
city, and here have always occupied an honorable position,
not deriving all the advantages from their investments, which
they had a right to expect, but invariably rising above
circumstances.
Brain and muscle are perhaps the most important elements
in building up a new colonization, but when to these are
298 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
added substantial capital, with the concomitants of skill and
enterprise, giving employment to labor and circulating money
amongst all classes, then the highest advantages accrue to
the community.
The history of Toronto would not be complete without
some reference to the late Mrs. Newcombe, the mother of the
family — a lady combining the highest culture with shrewd
foresight and decision of character.
On the death of Mr. Newcombe, considering that the pros-
pects for a large family would be better in a new country, Mrs.
Newcombe having to choose between Australia, where her sons
Henry and Doctor William Newcombe were then in good
positions, and Canada, decided in favor of the latter, and on
Toronto as their future home.
Besides the benefits the city derives from the business enter-
prise of the Newcombe brothers, the connections of the family
with Dr. Barrick and Mr. Alfred Mason have still further
extended their advantages, by investments in elegant resi-
dences, and in every way, contributing to the wealth and
prosperity of the city.
The other brothers, Doctor James Newcombe and Doctor
William Newcombe, were well known in the medical profes-
sion, the former for many years as Professor of Surgery in
Victoria College, and as having a very extensive practice in
Toronto, subsequently returning to England to reside, though '
still having a large investment in real estate in this city.
The benefits to accrue to Toronto by inducing more of the
wealthy families of the old world to make Toronto their home
are incalculable, and cannot be enjoyed without special efforts.
i Toronto has for some time been recognized as the musical
i! and educational centre of Canada, and associated with its
I development in this respect has been the rapid extension of
1 pianoforte manufacture, so that the trade of the Dominion may
Ibe said to be controlled from this city. One of the most exten-
sive establishments of this kind is that of Octavius Newcombe
& Co., who, commencing with ample capital, thorough financial
training, and a desire to produce instruments of exceptional
OCTAVIUS NEWCOMBE, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892.
299
artistic merit, have acquired large interests in this city in
extensive warerooms, and a splendid factory— a model in its
arrangement and application of the latest and best modern
machinery and appliances. As a result of these advantages
the reputation and sale of the l< Newcombe " pianos have been
extended not only throughout the Dominion of Canada, but to
England, the United States, Australia, and Japan. In interna-
tional awards, the "Newcombe" pianos secured First Silver
300 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Medal at the World's Exposition, New Orleans, U.S.A., 1884-85,
in competition with the pianos of Europe and America. At
the London (Eng.) Exhibition, in 1886, they received Medal
and Diploma, and a " Newcombe " Grand, selected for Her
Majesty the Queen by Sir Arthur Sullivan, was pronounced
" The Gem of the Exhibition." They have received numerous
first prizes at exhibitions in Canada, and the most emphatic
endorsation from artists and purchasers for superiority in tone
and durability. To the efforts of the two brothers, Henry and
Octavius Newcombe, who constitute the firm, assisted by a
superior staff* of artisans in the various departments, is the
uniform success of this enterprise attributable since its first
inception in 1871. Mr. Henry Newcombe's thorough business
education in England, and wide experience in commercial life
in Canada, no doubt fitted him to assist in the conduct of this
enterprise which has developed with rapid strides since he
joined his brother in 1879. At that time the pianofortes sold
in Canada were chiefly imported from the United States, but
witnin a decade the trade was revolutionized, so that to-day
few instruments are imported into Canada either from Europe
or the United States, while an increasing export trade is being
done from Canada to other countries. It has been stated that
a manufacturer of pianofortes has no claim to first rank who
has not made a success of his Grand pianos. This may be
understood from the fact that the difficulties to be met with
in the construction of a satisfactory square or upright are not
to be compared with the exacting demands which a first-class
Grand is required to meet. It is in this highest type — the
prinoe of instruments — that the Newcombes have attained
their greatest success. The " Newcombe " Grand pianos are
therefore found not only in many of the richest homes in
Canada, but in the chief palace of the Queen — Windsor Castle
— and have been used in public and private by the greatest
artists in the old and new world.
The subjoined letter, selected from a large number, is inter-
esting, as evidencing the great durability of the " Newcombe "
pianos under the most adverse circumstances, and as showing
HENRY NEWCOMBE, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 301
that their superior musical qualities are recognized wherever
the pianos may go : —
VANCOUVER, January 12th, 1892.
Messrs. OCTAVIUS NEWCOMBE & Co.,
Gentlemen, — You will remember the pleasure I expressed on the
arrival, now nearly four years ago, ef the Newcombe upright piano that
I ordered from you for my residence in Sydney, Australia. For the second
time it has made its journey across the Pacific, having travelled a distance
of over 30,000 miles since it has left your factory.
Its appearance and tone are both perfectly preserved, and the excel-
lence of the latter particularly admired by everyone who has tried it both
in Australia and in Canada, for its richness and sustained or singing
quality. Notwithstanding the vicissitudes of its tremendous journeys by
sea and land, and being subjected to the extreme changes of climate and
the rigors of the Northern Hemisphere, to exposure for years in the
Southern Hemisphere, it returns again to the former without a single
mishap or fault.
Under such circumstances you will understand how well satisfied I
have been in my choice of a " Newcombe " upright piano, and that as the
selection was left with you I deem it only my duty to place in your hands
what I believe to be the very best possible evidence of the exceptional
durability and sterling excellence of your instruments.
Yours truly,
M. M. FRASER.
Though their factory and head office are in Toronto, they
have branch establishments in Montreal and Ottawa, and their
success at the Capital in recent years has been phenomenal,
attributable in part to the acknowledged superiority of their
Grand pianos.
302
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The Queen's Hotel,
founded by Captain Thomas Dick in 1862, received its name,
no doubt, from the well-known loyalty of its founder, and
while a " rose by any other name would smell as sweet," there
is an appropriateness in this being applied to the leading hoJ£l
JBuJJie -Jj^ueea- City of th-e—W^st that will always strike a
traveller, especially from Britain. This attachment to every-
thing appertaining to royalty was further evidenced by Capt.
Dick in the name given to the steamer built for him on the
Clyde, which he called Her Majesty.
QUEEN'S HOTEL, TORONTO.
The writer crossed to England with him when going over to
place the contract, and when all had been completed, and the
steamer was on her way out, she was unfortunately lost. This
was regarded as a matter of great regret, not only by the
Captain, but by all Toronto citizens.
From the commencement the aim of Captain Dick was to
provide a comfortable home for his guests, as distinguished
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 303
from the " caravansary " style of most hotels in America, and in
this he was most successful, even to the minutest detail. The
present proprietors, Messrs. McGaw & Winnett, have followed
up the original design, making constant improvements in every
department. This popular hotel has recently been renovated
and changed in many respects from the first to the third story.
A year ago its elegant and commodious dining-room was very
handsomely frescoed. During the last three months many of
the parlors, corridors, and halls have been tastefully decorated
and painted. New private staircases have been fitted up in the
Queen Anne style. Each landing has a magnificent stained
glass window, and as one ascends these unique windings the
idea must flash upon him that he has mistaken the Queen's
Hotel, and is ensconced in some baronial hall. The halls and
corridors have all been relaid with costly and luxurious carpets.
When all these changes are added to the previous commodious
and handsomely furnished drawing-rooms and bedrooms, with
bathrooms, to say nothing of the fine suites of rooms which
were fitted up for the Princess Louise and the Marquis of
Lorne on the occasion of their first visit to Toronto, as well as
other suites that were prepared several years ago, in a magni- |
ficent style, for the reception of the Grand Duke Alexis, then
heir-apparent to the crown of Russia — the Queen's stands un- j
rivalled in this respect by any hotel in the Dominion, and as ,
regards the cuisinerie and the daily menu, nothing is left to be i
desired.
Need we wonder, then, that the Queen's is largely patronized,
not only by guests of the first standing from all parts of the
Dominion, but also from the United States, England, and the
Continent. In May, 1880, their Royal Highnesses Prince
Leopold and Princess Louise occupied a suite of apartments at
the Queen's. His Excellency the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-
General, and the Countess of Dufferin, also occupied apartments
at this hotel, and in 1890, His Royal Highness Prince Arthur, the
Duchess of Connaught and suite, and the Earl and Countess of
Aberdeen and a large number of distinguished guests, the
latest being Madame Adelina Patti.
304 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The situation is delightful, commanding a splendid view of
Toronto Bay and Lake Ontario, and from its proximity to that
splendid sheet of water, the cool breezes can be enjoyed all
through the summer, making it a most desirable resort for
visitors from the south.
The beautiful grounds around are both spacious and airy,
and with croquet and chevalier lawns, nothing more pleasant
could be desired by business men, pleasure seekers or tourists.
The Queen's is furnished with all the latest modern improve-
ments, having a handsome passenger elevator and electric bells,
and in addition will be found the most polite attention to every
wish of its guests.
The building being only three stories high, covering a large
area of ground, and used exclusively as a hotel, having lawns
on either side, with means of exit from the house, in addition to
those in front and rear, renders it almost impossible for an ac-
cident to take place from fire, and consequently the Queen's is
looked upon as the safest hotel in the Dominion of Canada, and
is regarded with pride by the citizens of Toronto as an estab-
lishment worthy of a great city.
"THE RED PARLOR."
Visitors to the Menai Bridge in Wales staying at the George
Hotel, where thousands of tourists every season enjoy the
facilities for driving, boating and fishing provided for guests,
and where, only with the exception of Greenwich, a dinner
of " white bait " can be obtained, are invariably shown the
room and bed in which the . Duke^of Wellington once slept.
Wherever the history of the late Sir^JoEn ATMacdonald is
read, the Red Parlor of the Queen's Hoteir^Toronto, as the
reception room of the suite of apartments he always occupied,
will be historical. From the time he gave up his private
residence in Toronto and removed to Earnscliffe, the Queen's
Hotel was his Toronto home, and the centre of his Ontario
receptions. Here the most important deputations, represent-
ing the various interests of the country, whether local or
general, were received, with all the dignity and courtesy of
THOMAS McGAW, ESQ
Ex-Commodore Toronto Yacht
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 305
the gifted and accomplished statesman, and none were ever
treated with indifference or neglect. His promises were always
fulfilled to the letter, and every visitor was charmed with his
affability.
Thomas McGaw, Esq.,
Ex-Commodore, Toronto Yacht Club.
The senior partner in the Queen's Hotel, is a native Canadian
of Scotch descent.
After a short career in mercantile life commenced at the early
age of twenty-one, Mr. McGaw left Canada for the United
States, where he might have remained had not the circumstances
connected with the American War awakened his temporarily
dormant enthusaism in favor of home and native land. The
threats of those with whom he was surrounded, of vengeance
against Great Britain, during the excitement of the "Trent
Affair," in case Mason and Slidell's surrender were insisted on
by England, decided Mr. McGaw in returning to Toronto.
Twenty-nine years ago he embarked his fortune with the late
Captain Thomas Dick, in establishing the Queen's Hotel, and
his history since that time is bound up with its progress and
wonderful success. He became from the first its acknowledged
head and moving spirit.
With a manner calculated to attract every visitor, unremit-
ting attention to every want and wish, a business tact in enter-
ing into every detail to insure the comfort and convenience of
guests, and to produce a home feeling, and a liberality which
knows no petty economy, every thing has tended under his
management to build up a largely increasing business and add
to the widely extending fame of the Queen's Hotel on both
sides of the Atlantic.
Mr. McGaw has always taken a prominent part in athletic
and aquatic sports. As President of the " roaring game " of
Curling, he has been honored by the gift of a full size oil
portrait of himself ; and as Commodore of the Toronto Yacht
Club, he has for years patronized and encouraged the aquatic
sports on Toronto Bay.
306 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
The popularity of Mr. McGaw is unbounded, his friends are
legion, and all ranks of royalty and nobility, of commercial,
political and agricultural representative men, are numbered
amongst his friends and patrons.
Mr. Henry Winnett,
Partner of Mr. McGaw, is favorably known not only in connec-
tion with the Queen's Hotel, in Toronto, but also with that
popular resort, the " Queen's Royal " Hotel, in Niagara-on-the-
Lake, to which Mr, Winnett devotes his time and attention
during the summer months.
Arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught.
On the 29th of May, 1890, His Royal Highness Prince
Arthur, Duke of Connaught, and the Duchess of Connaught,
with their suite, having chosen the route from India via Van-
couver and the Canadian Pacific Railway, arrived in Toronto,
and remained for several days at the Queen's Hotel. Their
time was fully occupied in receiving addresses and visiting the
public institutions of the city. One of the most interesting
incidents of their visit was the review of the Queen's Own
Rifles, the Royal Grenadiers and the Army and Navy Veterans
in front of the Queen's Hotel, the immense crowd that collected
to witness the scene being kept back by ropes. His Royal
Highness conversed with the veterans individually, shaking
hands with each, and as a number had served under him in
India, personal recollections were brought up and the utmost
loyalty and affectionate regard was displayed by the veterans
towards His Royal Highness.
On the 12th June their Royal Highnesses the Duke and
Duchess and party left Quebec for England by the Allan Royal
Mail steamer Sardinian, accompanied by the Duke's military
secretary, General McNeill and suite.
Copy of letter from His Royal Highness Prince Arthur,
Duke of Connaught, enclosing his photograph :
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ARTHUR,
Duke of Connaught
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 307
BUCKINGHAM PALACE, LONDON, Nov. QJtfh, 1891.
SIR,— In reply to your letter to the Duke of Connaught
requesting a photograph of His Royal Highness, for another
edition of your work, Toronto " Called Back," I am desired by
His Royal Highness to forward you the enclosed photograph.
I am, sir, yours faithfully,
(Signed) ALFRED EGERTON,
Colonel, Comptroller of the
Household to H. R H. the Duke of Connaught
Rossin House.
The interest connected with any institution contemporaneous
with the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, especially in a
young city like Toronto, must be enhanced as year by year the
celebration of Her Majesty's birthday marks another revolu-
tion in the wheel of time.
The Rossin House is one of the few establishments that
possess a history of half a century, although it had not assumed
its present name till 1853.
Since that time, although once burned down, and having to>
establish a reputation as_a_^rst^lass_hotel, when in the absence
of all railroad travelling and comparatively few visitors to the
city, it has kept steady pace with the expansion of business
enterprise and the development of railways and the consequent.
increase of travelling, both for business and pleasure.
Now travellers from all parts of the world find their way to»
its precincts, and have their highest expectations fully realized
in the comforts and conveniences it affords.
Distinguished visitors from Great Britain and the United
States have here been entertained from time to time.
In 1860, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, having
made Government House his temporary residence, the mem-
bers of his suite occupied apartments in the Rossin House.
The same suite of rooms has been occupied by Prince Alfred,
Duke of Edinburgh, and in 1880 the late Prince Leopold, Duke
308
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
of Albany, on his return visit from the Western States, with
his suite, registered at the Rossin House. .
Lord Dufferin and his party also occupied the same rooms,
and amongst other distinguished guests have been many re-
nowned artists, including Mrs. Langtry and Adelina Patti.
The last few years have seen this hotel making greater
advances than ever and a more widely extending reputation.
This is due to the energy of the present proprietorship, that
was assumed about four years ago.
ROSSIN HOUSE, TORONTO.
The building is now the property of the Rossin Hotel Com-
pany, from whom it is leased by Captain Abner Nelson, who is
ably assisted in the management by his brother, Mr. Alexander
Nelson.
The Messrs. Nelson brought to the Rossin House an experi-
ence gained in connection with their proprietorship of the
International Hotel in Halifax. Since they have taken control
of the Rossin House, whatever capital, enterprise, and experi-
ence can do to make a hotel successful has been done.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 309
There are few hotels in Canada or the United States which
equal the Rossin House for accommodation.
The number of its bedrooms is two hundred and fifty, all
furnished in first-class style, while its drawing-rooms and
boudoirs are perfectly sumptuous in their artistic decorations
and furniture. Suites of apartments have been provided for
families, with bath rooms and every convenience for comfort.
The general arrangement of the house may be said to be com-
plete in every detail. A handsome passenger elevator affords
easy access to every floor, in addition to which we find stair-
ways leading from the topmost story to the ground floor.
At night the heads of these points of egress are distinguished /
by red lamps, so that guests have only to approach one to find
a way to the open street, or to one of the patent fire escape
ladders, with which the building ^is abundantly supplied, and
which affords to guests the most perfect security.
The sanitary arrangements are perfect, and the cuisinerie
unexceptional, and the situation most central, convenient, and
commanding. The ventilation of the building is thorough and
complete.
/In addition to these general features so essential to the
character of a first-class hotel, the Messrs. Nelson have ex-
pended not merely a large amount of capital but they have
called into requisition the greatest decorative tastes. All the
more important rooms have been placed under the adorning
influence of the decorator, who has transformed them one by
one into apartments of elegance and beauty. Passing up the
main staircase one comes to the dining-room, where great
expense has been lavished on the decoration. From a large,
featureless apartment it has developed into a noble " salle a
manger," treated in relief materials of original design. The
walls have a high wainscot, finished in pressed leather effect,
above which in the spaces between the windows are trophies of
arms in antique metal effects. The whole tone of color is warm,
and the cheerfulness is greatly enhanced by the beautiful
stained glass windows which cast their rich colors across the
room. Perhaps the most gratifying experience in the dining-
room is obtained at the tables.
310 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
On the walls of the reception room are five tapestries, six feet
by eight, all copies of these famous scenes : German Student
Boy, from original design of Windsor tapestry, by Paul Ander-
son ; Apollo, from the original in Antwerp gallery, by Rubens ;
Courtiers of Henry IV.'s Reign, by Sully ; Lady of Sixteenth
Century, from the original in Po gallery, Austria ; Departure
for the Wars. The room is treated in rich, sombre coloring,
harmonizing finely with the tones used in the tapestries. Plate
glass windows in one sheet, with rich stained and leaded
transom lights, have taken the place of the former windows.
The drawing-room is decorated in the French style of the
First Empire. The ceiling is divided into a large oval panel,
and two smaller panels formed with delicate mouldings and
graceful ornament. The walls are also thrown into panels with
ornamental heads, all in specially modelled designs. The color
scheme is cream and gold, with relieving touches of other color.
The woodwork is finished in ivory enamel surface. For both
the drawing and reception-rooms magnificent Axminster carpets
have been purchased, and very elaborate furniture and window
draperies, and portieres of appropriate designs are being
prepared. When this room is complete it will certainly surpass
any room of the kind in Canada, and will doubtless be a favor-
ite resort for the travelling public.
British America Fire and Marine Assurance Co.
This is the oldest established Fire and Marine Assurance
Company in Canada, having been incorporated in 1833, even
before Toronto became a city.
The building owned by the Company, and in which their
business is transacted, is the finest specimen of architecture
belonging to any company in Canada.
The interior, comprising the business and private offices have
lately been decorated in the highest style of art, and are a credit
to the Company and the city of Toronto, besides enhancing the
value of the property.
These decorations are worthy of a special description, which
is here given.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 311
The ceiling of the Board Room is fresco, in the style of Louis
XV. The flower festoons and large corner ornaments are
painted, and outlined with gold. At each end of the ceiling is
a group of four symbolic figures arranged under a canopy
suspended from the ornamentation in the centre of the ceiling.
The frieze ornamentation and the walls correspond with the
ceiling, and are finished in solid gold bronze. The woodwork
is of walnut, highly polished.
The main offices are very elegant, the ceiling is frescoed in
the modern Renaissance style/in panels with painted mouldings.
The four large panels at the corners of the ceiling have painted
in each a symbolic figure. In two lozenge-shaped panels at
the sides are the Royal Arms, and Arms of the British America
Fire and Marine Assurance Co., and in the large semi-circular
panel at the south end is painted the Red Lion of Scotland.
The frieze and walls correspond with the ceiling, and are
artistically beautiful.
The ceiling of the Governor's room is decorated in the French
Renaissance style. The centre is painted to represent clouds,
over which in delicate tracery is a representation of a spider
web.
In the panels at the four corners are figures representing the
four seasotis.
There are also four circular panels on which are painted the
"Royal Arms," and the Arms of the Company, the effect being
very beautiful.
The frieze and walls correspond with the ceiling.
These splendid decorations are the work of Mr. R. J. Hovenden,
of this city.
The policies issued by this Company are most liberal and
comprehensive.
All kinds of property are insured, and losses promptly adjusted
without litigious delay.
The deservedly high reputation of this Company is a guaran-
tee of honorable and satisfactory arrangements, and the large
capital and economical management ensure a successful busi-
ness in the future, as has been its history in the past.
312 TORONTO ''CALLED BACK."
The head office is at the corner of Front and Scott Streets.
Directorate : Thos. Long, T. H. Purdom, John Morison, jun.r
Hugh Robertson, M.D., A. Myers, G. M. Kinghorn, John M.
Whiton. J. Morison, Governor ; John Y. Reid, Deputy-Gover-
nor ; W. H. Banks, Assistant-Secretary : P. H. Sims, General
Agent for Canada.
Toronto Lithographing Co.
No modern art has accomplished such practical resuHs in the
commercial world as the art of lithography. Manufacturers,
merchants, builders, public companies and corporations, all
alike, have recourse to its varied and beautiful productions to
inform the public of their ability to supply all their wants and
wishes. The perfection to which the Toronto Lithographing
Company has attained is something marvellous. The beauty of
their designs, and skill of execution, with the exquisite color-
ing of their pictures, are equal to the finest productions of oil
or water-color drawing, with the advantage of printing from
the same stone an almost unlimited number of copies.
In addition to the pictorial advertisements so profusely illus-
trated, and which adorn windows and counting-houses, the not
less useful work of printing forms of every description for
banks, offices and warehouses, is quickly executed to order.
The Company, from a small beginning in 1870, has grown to
such proportions as to require the full half of the Globe building
to carry on its work. The entrance is on Jordan Street, where
elegantly-fitted offices admit to the various departments. In
these are employed about one hundred hands, and the various
processes of the work display an amount of enterprise, which
would do credit to any city in the world. The success of the
business is due to the general manager, Mr. William Stone, Mr.
F. W. Heath, and Mr. Wm. C. Jephcott, the proprietors.
The business extends over the whole Dominion, and as the
best artists and specialists are employed in each department,
the work produced is of the highest character, and cannot be
txcelled.
Among the many specimens of their work to be seen scattered
s
SUPREME CHIEF RANGER, I. O. F.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 313
through Canada, several worthy of special mention, are a life-
size portrait reproduction of an oil painting of Dr. Oron-
hyatekha, in the uniform of S. C. R. I. O. F. Another is that
of the late Sir John A. Macdonald, also reproduced in full
colors, from an oil painting. The Canadian Pacific Railway
Company have just issued a large chrbmo-lithograph of their
new Pacific steamship Empress of India. The picture is
30x44 inches in size, and is printed in thirteen colors. It is
certainly a work of art, and worthy a place in any office or
library. This work is also by the Toronto Lithographing
Company, to whom great credit is due, as we understand they
secured the order in competition with the largest and best
English and American houses. Sketches in oil were submitted
from London and New York, and the fact that the painting
chosen was made by one of the Toronto Lithographing Com-
pany's own artiste, and a Canadian, is another proof that Cana-
dians can hold their own against the world. This order is
perhaps the largest that was ever placed in Canada, and we
feel glad to know that we have a concern in this city which
can command the work for our own country.
In the wood engraving department the very finest work is
turned out, making the Toronto Lithographing Company's
establishment the most complete for plant, equipment, manage-
ment and execution on the continent of America.
Oronhyatekha, M.D.
This distinguished Canadian affords a striking illustration of
how ability combined with integrity win for their possessor
recognition, honor and influence, apart from the adventitious
aids of birth or fortune. He also very happily demonstrates
in his remarkable career that the elements that go to form the
noblest types of character are not confined to any one race.
And taking him as a representative of the natives of the
American continent, they prove themselves capable of as high
a mental and moral development as the Europeans. At present
Dr. Oronhyatekha stands not only at the head of what is
314 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
allowed to be the most successful of the fraternal and bene-
ficiary societies, but by common consent he is regarded as the
first " society " man in America. The doctor is in the prime
of life, having only recently passed his fiftieth birthday. He
first saw the light near Brantford, Ont. An Indian of the
Mohawk nation he takes the liveliest interest in all that con-
cerns the welfare of "his own people." He received a liberal
and professional education in Kenyon College, Ohio, and Oxford,
England. At the latter famous seat of learning he was the
protege of H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. As a physician he
bade fair to win fame and fortune, but his devotion to Inde-
pendent Forestry led him to neglect his practice. And now
all his time is enthusiastically devoted to the interests of the
great Order of which he is not only the founder, but the able
and trusted supreme executive officer. The phenomenal
growth of " The Independent Order of Foresters/' in the past
few years, is the best possible proof not only of the soundness
of the principles of the order, but of the wisdom of its manage-
ment, and the confidence of its 32,000 members in those who
administer its affairs. Dr. Oronhy atekha is hot only the head
of the Foresters but he is also the head of the Order of Good
Templars throughout the world, having been elected in July,
1891, at the meeting of the Right Worthy Grand Lodge in
Edinburgh, to -the position of Right Worthy Grand Templar.
The high position he occupies in each body is found to be
advantageous to both. No one could wish to enjoy in a fuller
degree the esteem of those he represents, and no one deserves
it better than Dr. Oronhyatekha.
The Late Honorable John Macdonald, Senator.
"!N MEMORIAM."
"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like
again."
"He gave his honors to the world again, his blessed part to Heaven,
and slept in peace."
— Shakespeare.
The history of the late Senator Macdonald would comprise
the history of the wholesale dry goods trade of Toronto for
THE LATE HON. JOHN MACDONALD
Senator.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 315
nearly half a century. In 1847, when the writer first formed
his acquaintance, Mr. Macdonald was a young man holding the
position of salesman in the large dry goods establishment of
Walter Macfarlane & Co., corner of King Street and West
Market Square. He was at that time studying for the Wes-
leyan ministry, but on account of delicate health was ordered
to the West Indies, as well as to discontinue his studies. He
then proceeded to Kingston, Jamaica, where he remained in a
situation till 1849.
Having made up his mind to go into business he started the
first exclusively dry goods store on Yonge Street, and by
unwearied diligence, and great shrewdness as a buyer, succeeded
in establishing a successful business. His generosity and
philanthropy always kept pace with his prosperity, conscien-
tiously devoting a large portion of his profits, on the principle
of systematic beneficence, to benevolent, philanthropic, and
religious purposes. In this respect his name will be for ever
associated with the great enterprises of the city, in every thing
in which liberality and philanthropy have been displayed.
As a patron of literature his scholarships and prizes in vari-
ous colleges and the University will remain as a monument to
his memory, while his munificent donations to hospitals and
kindred institutions for the relief of suffering humanity will
hand his name down to posterity as a public benefactor.
Highly gifted by nature, he excelled in poetry as well as prose,
his productions in both being such as would be highly credit-
able to a man of leisure, while Mr. Macdonald cultivated his
talents in the midst of an engrossing and rapidly extend-
ing business all through his life. Whether on the platform or
in the pulpit he exhibited ability of a high order, always
expressing his views in the clearest and most emphatic mannei,
and ever on the side of truth and virtue, never swerving from
the highest principles towards expediency.
His distinguished services to the country as member of
Parliament, and subsequently as a member of the Senate, were
rendered still more valuable through the information given as
the result of his successive visits to Newfoundland, the West
316 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Indies, and Alaska, all of which was published for the benefit
of the Dominion, and was undoubtedly most valuable and is
already bearing good fruit.
Having been in the House of Commons at Ottawa when Sir
John A. Macdonald arose in his place to refer to the death of
Mr. Thomas White, Minister of the Interior, whose vacant
chair immediately in the rear of Sir John's bore a beautiful
white wreath, and witnessing his vain attempt to speak, over-
come as he was by emotion, and Sir Hector Langevin's taking
his place with an impromptu eulogy, I think it not out of place
to reproduce the following lines, which were composed by
Senator Macdonald and printed anonymously in the Ottawa
Journal of that day : —
THE FLAG AT HALF MAST.
Why flies the flag at half mast,
Which was mast head yesterday ?
Has one of the mighty fallen,
Has some great one passed away ?
Has the rider on the pale horse —
' The rider with icy wand —
Touched beating heart and stilled it,
Of some leader of the land ?
The flag which flies at half mast,
Which flutters high in the air,
But tells to man the story
Which is taught him everywhere :
That man being here abideth not,
Is cut down like a flower,
Is like the grass which springeth up
And withers in an hour ;
And so the flag at half mast,
Which was yesterday at mast head,
Tells in its mournful floating
Of a gifted statesman dead,
And reads to all the lesson —
To the grave and to the gay —
It may wave for them to-morrow,
As it waves for him to-day.
OTTAWA, April 23rd, 1888.
w^ ^-.«r--
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*#•£
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TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 317
Samson, Kennedy & Co.
"Nothing succeeds like success."
For several years previous to 1869, Mr. A. G. Samson, Mr.
Warring Kennedy and Mr. Alexander Geramel occupied the
leading positions in the house of Messrs. John Macdonald & Co.,
as buyer, manager, and counting-house financier, respectively.
Having decided to establish a new business that year, they
brought all their experience, ability and connection into requi-
sition, and rapidly attained to a first-class position as wholesale
dry goods merchants ; the continued residence of Mr. Samson
in England as buyer giving the firm exceptional advantages,
while the popularity of Mr. Kennedy secured a rapid and exten-
sive trade from the commencement.
Mr. Kennedy is the only survivor of the original firm. The
business having been established on a solid basis, with un-
limited credit and capital, and thoroughly systematized in every
department, still grows, not only with uninterrupted but
increasing prosperity, having extended its operations from
ocean to ocean. Represented all over the Dominion, the name
of the firm is " a household word " in the dry goods trade.
While the staple trade is the foundation, the firm has built
up a reputation for " fancy goods," haberdashery and gentle-
men's furnishing goods, which no house in the Dominion can
excel, and renders their stock especially attractive to general
buyers, as well as houses cultivating these distinctive depart-
ments.
The position of the warehouse is most central, and very ex-
tensive as well as convenient, having entrances on both Scott
and Colborne Streets. The five floors of the warehouse are
always heavily stocked. The basement is reserved for Cana-
dian manufactured woollens and cottons; the first floor for
imported staple goods ; the second floor for fancy goods ; the
third floor for dress goods, and the fourth for hosiery, gloves,
and men's furnishings.
" The fierce light that beats upon the throne " equally
searches out the flaws in fche character of those who occupy
318 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
prominent positions in the church, comparing the profession
there with the practice in the counting-house and warehouse
through the week. From personal acquaintance with Mr.
Kennedy since 1857, the writer can say he never knew an
instance in which he did not pass the ' ordeal of . criticism un-
scathed. In him the unfortunate debtor has always found a
sympathizing friend, and a liberal helper.
Possessing superior talent as an orator, his eloquence has been
equally displayed in the pulpit and on every platform, in the
advocacy of every cause affecting either public or private inter-
ests. Ever ready to give his services, his impromptu utter-
ances have been superior to many well-prepared speeches, and
always tell on an audience with marked effect, and with the
highest deference to his opinions and judgment.
No man in Toronto, during that time, has more ably filled so
many and so important positions with greater credit to himself,
or the various institutions and companies with which he has
been connected. As an Alderman he displayed unusual intelli-
gence as to the management of municipal affairs. As President
of the Commercial Travellers' Association, organized in 1872,
he may claim to have established that institution on a solid
basis. In the same year Mr. Kennedy was elected President
of the Protestant Benevolent Society. He is Chairman of the
Board of the Toronto Burying Ground Trust ; senior Honorary
Secretary of the Upper Canada Bible Society ; a member of
the High School Board, and of the Board of Management of
the House of Industry. He is also a member of the Executive
Council of the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, and
Chairman of the Canadian Board.
Mr. Kennedy's devotion and loyalty to the cause of Method-
ism are known far and near. As local preacher, class leader,
trustee, and Sabbath school superintendent, he earned for him-
self the esteem and admiration of his co-religionists. He has
been on several Conference Committees, and a delegate from
the Toronto Conference to the General Conference, where he
always took a prominent part in the debates. At the Toronto
Oouference in June, 1891, he had the unique honor conferred
FREDERICK KENNEDY, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1887 TO 1892. 319
upon him of being elected Secretary, which is the first instance
of a layman occupying that position in the history of the Meth-
odist Church of this continent. He was also elected a delegate
to the Second Ecumenical Conference of the Methodism oAhe
world, which met at Washington, B.C., in 1-891. Mr. Kennedy
frequently occupies the pulpits of some of the leading churches,
and holds a foremost place as an expounder of the Gospel
truths. He is always ready for service in any branch of the
church work at all times, and the charitable organizations of
the city can always rely on him as a warm friend and willing
helper. Mr. Kennedy can claim the unique distinction of being
a successful business man, preacher, and public man. He is
deservedly popular with all classes of his fellow-citizens.
Under his skilful management the business of the firm has
assumed immense proportions, and the house now ranks as
amongst the foremost in the Dominion.
Mr. Frederick Kennedy.
In every large mercantile establishment, while much respon-
sibility rests upon the buyers and a great deal of its success
depends on the salesmen, the ultimate result will be shown by
the manner in which credits are dispensed and bad risks avoided.
Where competition runs high the temptation to extend
business at the expense of caution is the cause of the large
number of failures in the wholesale credit business.
The safe and prosperous career of Messrs. Samson, Kennedy
& Co. owes much to Mr. Frederick Kennedy, who has the chief
management of their large and rapidly extending business.
His keen judgment and clear insight into human nature
have contributed to his selection of safe and solvent customers
and the avoidance of those of a doubtful or dishonest character,
thereby securing the best class of accounts, with few bad debts.
A combination of the "suaviterin modo" with the " fortiter
in re'' has gained for Mr. Fred. Kennedy the reputation of
being a favorite with the retail trade of the Dominion, and
established his claim for popularity, as well as gained for the
house the unlimited confidence of the public.
320 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
It is much to the credit of Canada that such business talent
is found at home, Mr. Frederick Kennedy being not only a
native Canadian but a native of Toronto.
The Mayoralty of 1894.
The election of Warring Kennedy, Esq., for the position of
« Chief Magistrate of the city by an immense majority, proved
his popularity as well as his fitness as a successful merchant
and experienced financier to direct the affairs of the corporation.
Although a year of extraordinary depression, not only in
Toronto but throughout the Dominion, and all over the world,
the strict regard to economy and judicious disposition of the
revenue of the city has established the financial credit of
Toronto on the firmest basis on which it has ever stood.
In the administration of the civic functions, the dignity of
the position has been maintained and the city redeemed from
the tendency to lower the character, which should distinguish
the office of Chief Magistrate of the Queen City of the West.
Not the least important part of the duty of the Chief
Magistrate of any city is the presiding at public meetings and
the reception of delegations from other cities, and in this
respect Mayor Kennedy acquits himself in a manner which
reflects credit on himself and on the city he represents. His
gentlemanly deportment and happy and eloquent manner of
expressing himself on these occasions, cannot fail to have a
beneficial influence on the character of the city which can
boast of so capable a mayor. The various testimonials the
Mayor has received from these delegations prove conclusively
that his sentiments towards them have been duly appreciated.
During the year a number of important measures have been
successfully accomplished, amongst which may be mentioned
the improvement in Ashbridge's Bay, and vicinity, the eastern
entrance of the Canadian Pacific Railway into the city, and the
settlement of disputes between the city and the railway
companies.
There is little doubt of Mayor Kennedy's election for a
second term, should he offer his services for 1895.
WARRING KENNEDY, ESQ.,
Mayor of Toronto, 189tr95.
HIS EXCELLENCY THE EARL OF
ABERDEEN, P.C.,
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 321
Departure of the Earl of Derby.
The Right Honorable Lord Stanley of Preston, GXlB., suc-
ceeded to the Earldom of Derby on the death of his brother
April 21st, 1893.
Having completed his term of office, the Earl of Derby and
family left Ottawa on the 12th July, 1893, and sailed by the
Sardinian, from Quebec, on the loth.
Everywhere they were greeted with demonstrations of
respect and loyalty, and departed with the best wishes of
Canadians of all classes for their future happiness. Immedi-
ately after his departure, Lieut-General Moore was sworn in
as administrator in Canada, pending the arrival of the Earl of
Aberdeen.
v
Arrival of the Earl of Aberdeen.
The only visible tie that binds the Dominion to; the mother-
land is the appointment of the Governor-General.
The succession of so many distinguished statesmen to this
high office, each appearing more popular than his predecessor,
displays the great wisdom of Her Majesty and her advisers,
whether the Government be Conservative or Liberal, in their
selection.
This bond, although silken in texture, is equally effectual as
the bands of steel of the transcontinental railway, in binding
the Dominion in loyalty to the great empire over which Her
Majesty reigns.
The Right Honorable Sir John Campbell Hamilton Gordon,
seventh Earl of Aberdeen, having been appointed Governor-
General of Canada, sailed from England on the steamship
Sardinian, arriving at Quebec on September 17th, 1893.
The Governor-General's staff was as follows :
A. J. L. Gordon, Esq., of Ellon, C.M.G., Governor- General's
Secretary ; Aides-de-camp, Capt. C. P. W. Kindersley, Cold-
stream Guards, and Capt. B. C. Urquhart, Cameron Highlanders;
extra aides-de-camp, Robert Munro Ferguson, Esq., and David
322 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Erskine, Esq., both of the Royal Scottish Archers ; chaplain
and tutor, Rev. T. W. Winfield; W. T. S. Hewett, Esq., B.A.,
barrister-at-law, personal private secretary to His Excellency ;
physician and surgeon, David A. Shirres, Esq., M.D.; William
Campbell, Esq., assistant private secretary ; Miss Wilson, Lady
Aberdeen's private secretary ; Miss Wetterman, governess.
The ceremony of installation took place on the morning of
September 18, in the Red Chamber of the Legislative Council.
His Excellency was accompanied by the Countess and their
children.
The oath of office was administered by Sir Henry Strong,
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, surrounded by the Cabinet
ministers in their Windsor uniforms.
Immediately after the installation a royal salute was fired
from the citadel.
First Public Appearance in Toronto.
On October 25, Lord and Lady Aberdeen received a brilliant
welcome from the people of Toronto. They were the guests of
Lieutenant-Governor and Mrs. Kirkpatrick at Government
House.
Their Excellencies received addresses from the City Council,
St. Andrew's Society, the Caledonian Society, the Gaelic
Society, the Caithness Society, the Orkney and Shetland
Society, St. George's Society, and the Protestant Benevolent
Society.
On their return to Toronto from Hamilton and London on
the 27th, the Earl and Countess made a tour of various educa-
tional and charitable institutions, and Lady Aberdeen attended
a meeting of women at the Horticultural Pavilion, and under
her auspices the National Council of Women for Canada was
inaugurated. In the evening Lord Aberdeen presided at the
second annual meeting of the Children's Aid Society, thus
terminating a series of the heartiest and most unanimously
enthusiastic receptions ever given to a representative of the
Queen.
THE COUNTESS OF ABERDEEN.
H. A. MASSEY, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 323
The Fleming Administration.
The years 1892 and 1893 have been a period of stagnation
and discontent.
For the first time in her history, the census showed a decrease
of population. While Toronto might expect to suffer in com-
mon with other cities, from a general depression, there have
been causes which must be attributed to the want of enterprise
on the part of our municipal authorities. While men are to be
found in the City Council whose ambition seems to be solely
to reduce their personal taxation at the sacrifice of the general
interests of the city, the result must be fatal to her progress
and advancement.
A campaign at the election of Mayor for 1892, in which the
chief factor appeared to be the most strenuous opposition to the
Canadian Pacific Railway, the ridicule of its managing director,
and general opposition to its proposals for beautifying and
improving our water front and approaches by ornamental
bridges across the railway tracks, especially at Yonge Street,
has deprived the citizens of advantages which the present
generation will never enjoy, and which might have been
secured had not a narrow and short-sighted policy of obstruc-
tion been resorted to. Nevertheless, these two years have been
marked by improvements in many respects, which will make
them memorable in the history of the city.
The complete change from horse cars to electric motors, the
improvements in street pavements, and the outlet from
Ashbridge's Bay, have all contributed to the health and beauty
of the city, and its general attractiveness as a place of residence
and a resort for visitors.
Massey Music Hall.
In the chapter devoted to the musical history of Toronto,
reference has been made to the halls in which concerts and
oratorios were given, commencing in the old Parliament Build-
ing, then to St. Lawrence Hall, and later to the hall at present
324 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
used as the reading-room of the Public Library, where the
frescoes on the walls indicate the use to which that room was
originally applied. These failing to accommodate the increas-
ing numbers of a larger population, led to the erection of the
Horticultural Pavilion and the Auditorium.
The demand for still greater accommodation has been met
by the liberality of H. A. Massey, Esq., in erecting a Music
Hall, which is the culmination of the wonderful growth of the
musical taste of the city. The erection of the Massey Music
Hall by' a vast expenditure, and the opening Festival, will be at
once a memorial of Mr. Massey's late son, Charles Albert
Massey, and a monument to the philanthropy and generosity
of its founder.
To present to the citizens of Toronto a temple of music of
sufficient capacity to enable the masses of the people to enjoy
the pleasure of hearing the greatest artists of the day at prices
within the reach of all, is a boon of which hitherto all but the
wealthy have been denied.
The Massey Music Hall has now become a reality, and will
be a lasting monument to the munificence of its giver, and
secure the gratitude of the millions who, from time to time,
shall gather within its walls to be charmed with "'the divine
art," of all others the most refining and elevating.
The opening concerts, the Baptist Convention and the Moody
meetings have tested the capabilities of the Music Hall to
accommodate large masses of people in the most comfortable
manner, over 5,000 persons being in the building at one time.
The heating and ventilating arrangements are on the most
modern scientific principles, and the acoustic properties are
perfect, reflecting the greatest credit on the architect.
In handing over the keys of the building and the deed to
the Mayor of the city, representing the board of trustees, Mr.
Massey made an absolute transfer of all title to the property.
The stipulations of the trust deed, providing for its manage-
ment, are clear and specific, and are in accordance with the
wishes of the donor. The deed says :
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 325
" The property shall be used for such purposes as shall, in
the judgment of the trustees, tend to the musical, educational,
or industrial advancement of the people, the promotion of the
cause of temperance, the cultivation of good citizenship and
patriotism, or the encouragement of philanthropic or religious
work, and for the holding and giving of public and other meet-
ings and entertainments, which, in the judgment of the trustees,
may be consistent with any of the said purposes."
As to the revenue from the Hall, the deed says :
" The income from the property shall be applied (1) to pay
the actual running expenses ; (2) to form a fund for rebuilding,
repairing, refitting, improving or further equipping the building
and premises, so as to keep them thoroughly adapted for the
purposes for which they have been set apart, such sum to be
accumulated from the receipts from time to time over actual
running expenses, until it reaches the sum of $10,000, or such
larger sum as in the judgment of the trustees may be deemed
prudent or necessary ; (3) to form a reserve fund to meet any
possible deficiency which from temporary causes may arise in
the receipts ; and (4) to reduce the cost of entertainments of
the highest class, so as to enable the greatest number of people
to attend the same and derive benefit therefrom."
In case the enterprise should not be successful, the property
cannot be encumbered to pay its indebtedness, for which the
deed clearly provides as follows :
" Should the receipts from the property at any time prove
insufficient for its further maintenance, and if the trustees shall
be of the opinion that such deficiency is likely to be permanent,
the property may be sold and the proceeds distributed among
such benevolent or charitable institutions or enterprises as in
the judgment of the trustees would have been most in accord
with the wishes of the donor of the property."
In the event of the sale of the property, no part of the pro-
ceeds could revert to the family of Mr. Massey, so that the gift
to the citizens is absolutely free, and Toronto can now boast of
having one of the finest music halls on the Continent of
America.
326 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Massey Music Hall is an imposing structure of stone and
brick, three stories high, and cost $150,000.
The interior of the hall is tastefully painted and decorated,
and a handsome finish is given to the whole by the series of
private boxes situated next the stage. The ground floor is
intended to seat 1,454 people. There are twenty-four rows of
large and comfortable orchestra chairs, with the latest devices
for convenience. There are two balconies supported by iron
columns, also provided with seats the same as the ground floor.
The first balcony has 1,100 seats, and the second about 800.
The total seating capacity is 3,354, with the seats on the stage
additional, making 3,772.
Massey Music Hall Festival.
This important event, so long anticipated, took place on the
14th, 15th and 16th of June, 1894, and consisted of five per-
formances : The " Messiah," Miscellaneous Selections, " Hymn
of Praise " and " Wreck of the Hesperus," A Children's Con-
cert, and Second Miscellaneous Selections.
The solo performers were : Sopranos, Miss Emma Juch, Miss
Lilian Blauvelt ; contralto, Mrs. Carl Alves ; tenor, Mr. W. H.
Rieger ; bass, Dr. Carl E. Dufft ; pianoforte, Mr. Arthur
Friedheim ; violin, Herr Wm. Yunck ; violoncello, Herr Alfred
Hoffman ; cornet, Mr. Herbert L. Clarke ; organist and accom-
panist, Mrs. H. Blight ; Festival Chorus, five hundred voices ;
Public School Children's Chorus, one thousand voices ; Festival
Orchestra, seventy performers.
Not since the musical festival in 1886 had such a chorus
been got together as the five hundred voices which comprised
that which appeared at the opening concert of the festival of
1894. These vocalists and the soloists were supported by an
orchestra of ninety pieces, with a Mason <fe Risch vocalion,
taking well the place of a pipe organ.
The performance opened with the National Anthem, as
arranged by Mr. Torrington for the previous festival.
FRED VICTOR BUILDING, TORONTO.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 327
From first to last the grand oratorio of the " Messiah " was
rendered in all its parts, solos and chorus, in a manner to
reflect the highest credit on all the performers and the popular
conductor. The " Hallelujah Chorus," in its triumphal strains,
was a magnificent climax to the second part of the oratorio,
and the grandeur of the rendering evoked the enthusiasm of the
audience.
The four subsequent concerts were each and all a source of
great delight to the large audiences which attended.
Mr. F. H. Torrington was general musical director.
Mr. A. T. Cringan, conductor of children's chorus.
Mr. A. E. Fisher, conductor of cantata, "Wreck of the
Hesperus."
The greatest credit is due to Mr. Torrington for having
brought the festival to so successful a conclusion. In this he
has added further lustre to his name, and given another proof
of his exceptional ability in drilling large choral masses.
The soloists all acquitted themselves most creditably, and
altogether the musical festival of 1894 was a great success.
Fred Victor Mission Building.
Perhaps no city of its size can boast of more benevolent and
philanthropic institutions than Toronto, and most of these had
small beginnings. Besides the large hospitals, there are the Boys'
and Girls' Homes, Home for Incurables, The House of Industry,
Protestant Orphans' Home, House of Providence, Hospital for
Sick Children, Industrial Refuge, Home for the Aged, men and
women, and many others. In addition to all these, there now
exists an institution equally valuable in its way, and with this
superior advantage that through the wise management of its
directors it is made self-supporting.
At the Annual Convention of Christian Workers in the
United States and Canada, held in Washington in November,
1891, Mr. B. E. Bull, of Toronto, was appointed to speak on the
Central Lodging House Association of Toronto. He gave an
328 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
interesting account of the history of the Institution, from its
small beginning up to date.
The sketch commenced with the Jar vis Street Mission, which
had been started in 1886 by a lady going out from the Metro-
politan Methodist Church and gathering a few street boys into
a Mission Sabbath School. These boys were all Roman Catho-
lics, and, " by a strange irony of fate, the place where she
gathered them was in the Orange Hall." Other ladies joined in
the work and were ably assisted by Mr. Bull himself and Mr.
G. H. Parkes, and for three years all worked enthusiastically.
The results far exceeded their anticipations ; not only boys and
girls, but young men became thoroughly reclaimed from vice
and became industrious and sober.
The idea of providing a lodging-house for destitute tramps
soon suggested itself, and resulted in the renting of a building
and the formation of an association with a capital of $750 to
commence with, and a board of directors. The building was
fitted up with sixty beds, with bath-room and other conven-
iences, the charge for a night's lodging being ten cents. From
the first this enterprise was successful.
Mr. Bull's history of the Association proved most interesting
to the Convention, and has been published verbatim, with ques-
tions put by delegates as to the minutest details ; and no doubt
the example set by Toronto has been followed in many other
cities in Canada and the United States.
The Fred Victor Mission Building, donated by Mr. H. A.
Massey, to be used for city mission work in connection with
the Methodist Church, was opened on October 25th, 1894.
This building, which has a very imposing appearance, is an
ornament to the city, as far as architecture is concerned, and in
its adaptation to the purposes for which it is designed, most
complete in all its arrangements.
The combination of city mission work with the Central
Lodging House Association will contribute to make the institu-
tion most valuable and beneficial to the poor of the city.
The Mission rooms are fitted up with every modern conven-
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 329
ience for carrying on the work. The " Creche," a gymnasium
for boys, a banking room and a restaurant for cheap meals are
each specially planned to suit their requirements.
The building is fitted with lavatories in connection with each
floor. The dormitories are neat and comfortable, and altogether
a great boon has been conferred upon the poor of the city.
The building is one of the best equipped on the Continent of
America, and has cost Mr. Massey $50,000, exclusive of the
ground, all of which has been handed over to trustees, who are
empowered to manage it according to the intention of the donor.
The Lodging-House Association rent their portion of the
building from the management of the Mission building, their
portion being called Victor House.
The building, which is situated at the corner of Queen and
Jarvis Streets, was erected as a memorial of Mr. Massey's
youngest son, who, having made a tour of the world, and hav-
ing the brightest prospects, was cut off in his manhood's youth
and beauty.
The Toronto College of Music (Limited).'
and Orchestral and Organ School has commenced its seventh
year under most favorable auspices. The staff of teachers com-
prises the very best talent in each department, Mr. Torrington,
Director, resuming his position as teacher of piano, organ, and
vocal music. Besides the other teachers on piano and organ,
there are specialists on the violin, violoncello, viola, harp and
other instruments, both brass and string, insuring to students a
most complete course, with the prospect of scholarships, gold
medals, diplomas and prizes and the Governor-General's medal,
promised by His Excellency on his visit to the College.
In addition to the talented and efficient staff of teachers
attached to the College of Music, Mr. Torrington has secured
the services of Signor Tesseman, who has lately arrived from
England. This gentleman brings with him abundant evidence
of eminent ability from such reliable authorities as Mapleson,
Arditi, Ganz, Sullivan and Sims Reeves. He has sung at La
330
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Scala, Milan and the principal opera houses on the Continent,
and as principal tenor at Her Majesty's and Covent Garden
Theatres in London, and was specially prepared by Gounod
himself for "Faust."
Signor Tesseman will conduct the Vocal Instruction Depart-
ment of the College, including operatic music.
The College is in a flourishing state. The handsome building
which was annexed this season as a vocal and elocutionary
department, enables the College to extend its work, the high
educational standard of which attracts students from all over
the Continent.
t
Toronto Statistics.
FIVE YEARS' BUILDING OPERATIONS.
The following comparative statement, taken from the City
Commissioner's books, will show the amount of money which
has been expended in Toronto during the past five years on
the construction of buildings :
1890.
1891.
1892.
1893.
1894.
January -
February - - - -
March
April
Mav
$59,500
105,450
177,425
162,000
91 9 R9^
$226,950
144,600
236,440
769,680
RQ9 fiOO
$60,100
372,150
167,400
247,600
9x9 QOA
$24,650
31,650
84,910
250,300
9^0 fWi
$34,350
39,250
65,295
99,195
1 XX 1 SO
Ifil 99^
AA a 97 E:
01 « oqo
1 ^0 400
96 310
July- - - - -
138,925
1 1^ 07 T
500,060
970 Aftf)
168,350
994 '^O
88,805
919 7qn
202,675
49 550
September - ...
October
137,550
4.4.9 fiCfi
300,650
94.fi S10
268,680
901 A9K
81,645
cq 4OK
87,550-
67 '^5
November ....
December ....
276,150
346,140
310,350
241,085
392,500
120,450
1,200,000
111,090
18,650
40,850-
49,665
Total - -
$2,364,750
$4,388,900
$3,921,755
$1,361,850
$1,020,225
The totals for the year 1891 were swelled by half a million
dollars having been expended upon the Parliament buildings :
the large totals of 1892 were chiefly owing to the estimate for
the new court house, work upon which is now proceeding.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO L894. 331
TORONTO IMPORTS AND EXPORTS, 1893.
Value. Duty.
Imports - - . $22,072,127 $4,570,851
ExP°r*s 3,653,123
TORONTO NET DEBT.
1868 $2,100,772
1893 - - - - . . . . . 16,461,832
TOTAL ASSESSMENT.
- - $25,604,154
- 150,864,521
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF
MONTREAL AND TORONTO.
Montreal. Toronto.
Value of taxable property $130,834,241 $137,787,088
General taxes comprising real estate, taxes, water,
etc., available for administration purposes. . . . $2,651,115 $3,319,459
Rates of general tax on the value of real estate . . 1 79-100 p.c. 2 41-100 p.c.
Population 229,000 190,000
Taxes per head , $10 25 $17 47
Cost of administration per head 10 25 17 47
Total debt , $22,850,656 $19,745,943
Money in bank accumulated, sinking fund, amount
due for special taxes $2,906,000 $3,284,111
Net debt $19,944,656 $16,461,832
Debt, per head $84 91 $86 64
Assets of Toronto Railway Company.
Seventy miles of track $1,163,421 00
Rolling stock 539,546 00
Plant and appliances 840,250 00
Total $2,543,217 00
Board of Trade.
The report for the year ending 31st December, 1893, shows
receipts of members, subscriptions of 919 members, and rents of
building, amounting to $6 1,413, of which $22,047 was for rents.
Assets (includingbuilding and equipment $470,530). $490,825 00
Balance on liabilities 13,352 00
332
TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Dominion Statistics.
FREE POSTAL DELIVERY.
The figures of the free delivery by letter-carrier tell most
powerfully in favor of Toronto.
OFFICE.
Letters and Post
Cards.
i
Letters, Post Cards,
and Newspapers.
No. of
Carriers.
Actual Delivery.
Including Super-
intendents and
Sorters.
Halifax
1,079,546
2,358,221
1,266,062
1,726,457
7,441,808
2,297,655
1,727,200
1,106,025
15,548,454
358,111
1,454,591
102,987
946,957
638,959
714,232
2,819,119
1,263,472
790,193
696,879
3,520,808
274,159
1,126,638
1,182,533
3,305,178
1,905,021
2,440,689
10,260,927
3,561,127
2,517,393
1,802,904
19,069,262
632,270
2,581,229
18
42
8
25
86
34
31
22
105
13
20
19
45
9
31
106
38
34
25
122
13
22
London
Montreal, including Hochelaga,
Point St. Charles, St. Gabriel
and St. Jean Baptiste - - -
Ottawa
Quebec and St. Sauveur - - -
!St John
Totals
36,364,130
12,894,403
49,258,533
384
464
1868
1893
1868
1893
1877
1893
1868
1893
1868
1893
Imports to Canada. Exports.
$73,459,644 $57,567,888
- 129,074,268 118,564,352
POST-OFFICE STATISTICS.
Offices. Letters. Newspapers.
3,638 18,100,000 18,860,000
- 8,477 106,290,000 90,370,917
RAILWAYS.
4,826 miles.
15,020 "
CHARTERED BANKS.
POST-OFFICE SAVINGS BANKS.
Depositors.
$2,102
114,275
$77,572,257
304,363,580
Balances.
$204,588
24,153,194
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 333
Commerce of Canada and the United States Compared.
Commerce of the United States :
Total value entered for consumption $813,601,345 00
Of which there was free of duty 458,074,604 00
Of which there was dutiable 355,526,741 00
Amount of customs duty collected 173,097,671 00
Average rate of duty on dutiable goods (per
cent-) 48.71
Average rate of duty on imports, dutiable and
free (per cent. ) 21 . 26
Statement showing the value of all merchandise imported
into the Dominion of Canada from United Kingdom and
foreign countries, and entered for consumption during the
year ending June 30, 1892 :
Total value entered for consumption $116,978,943 00
Of which there was free of duty 47,818,206 00
Of which there was dutiable 69, 160,737 00
Amount of customs duty collected 20,550,473 00
Average rate of duty on dutiable goods (per
cent.) 29.71
Average rate of duty on imports, free and
dutiable (per cent. ) 17 . 56
Imports into the United States, per capita on
67,000,000 population '. . 12 14
Imports into Canada, per capita, on 5,000,000
population 23 39
Toronto Pavements.
The year 1893 will be the most remarkable in the history of
Toronto.
Notwithstanding delays and obstructions, her progress con-
tinues in such a degree as to attract the attention, not only of
visitors from abroad, but of her own citizens, who are constantly
surrounded with signs of improvement on every hand. In
nothing is this more striking or apparent than in our streets
and sidewalks.
For the first time in the history of the city has the reproach,
handed down from year to year for half a century, of being
" Muddy York," been entirely removed, and now the eye of
334 TORONTO " CALLED BACK."
the traveller returning from Europe, or the visitor for the first
time, is delighted with the clean, solid pavements and side-
walks, and when those in contemplation are completed, Toronto
will undoubtedly be the best-paved and cleanest city on the
Continent of America.
" Palmam qui meruit, ferat" (" who deserves the palm should
wear it "), and it is certain that the City Council must have
sanctioned the outlay, as well as succeeded in getting the very
best work for the money expended, else we should not now
•enjoy the benefit.
Toronto Island.
In 1847, and for several years afterwards, what is now an
island was connected with the city by a marsh. The only
building at the east was Privat's Hotel, while at the west there
was nothing but a few fishermen's huts and the lighthouse.
The only means of communication was by large keel boats with
four oars.
One stormy night, by a freak of nature, Privat's Hotel was
swept away, and, at the same time, a channel was formed,
creating a veritable island.
The wonderful improvements that have taken place, trans-
forming the sandy desert island into a place of beauty and a
delightful summer resort as if by a magician's wand, seem to
old residents more of a dream than a reality.
The splendid ferry service, by which tens of thousands are
conveyed every summer, to find recreation and pure air from
the blue waves of Lake Ontario, is indeed at once a boon beyond
price to the citizens, and a credit to the enterprise of the steam-
boat proprietors.
On this sandy soil have arisen shade trees and flower gardens,
with beautiful parks and walks, while the whole extent is now
a succession of beautiful villa residences, with churches and
hotels for the accommodation of visitors.
Toronto is surrounded with delightful summer resorts, where
the more wealthy can afford to spend the summer months, but
NEW UNION STATION, TORONTO.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 335
in the island the poorest may find attractions and enjoyment
not surpassed by the most celebrated distant pleasure grounds.
The possibilities of this invaluable adjunct to our city are
beyond conception.
The island is destined to develop into a place of beauty, a
health resort, and a suburb of immense value to this rapidly-
growing city.
Whether by electric railway connected by bridges, or by
electric launches on the proposed continuous lagoons, or by
Venetian gondolas, the island is to be utilized for pleasure
travel — or by all combined — one thing is certain, that nothing
can now stop the spirit of enterprise by which one or all of
these systems shall be carried out for the delectation of the
inhabitants, who may well congratulate themselves on their
residence in a city which possesses such means of enjoyment
as no other on the Continent of America can boast of.
The New Union Station.
No greater proof of the " wonderful growth and progress of
Toronto " could be given than its facilities in the accommoda-
tion of travel and its position as a great railroad centre.
To those who were present at the " turning of the first sod "
of the Northern Railway, and then purchased tickets at the
little frame building at the foot of Simcoe Street, and who
later stood amazed at the magnificence of the present station,
the new building, as it will soon appear, with its conveniences
and facilities, must impress the beholder with the magnitude
of the traffic which necessitates such extensive premises as are
now being utilized and spread over such an extent of ground.
The general design is most complete, and having the main
entrance on Front Street is so obviously the best and most
convenient for passengers that it must commend itself at once
to the travelling public.
The entrance is through a magnificent archway, leading into
a spacious and lofty entrance hall fifty feet square and thirty-
336 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
five feefc in height, on one side of which are the ticket offices,
and on the other the baggage counter. This entrance hall is
furnished in red sandstone, imported from Scotland, and pressed
brick walls, the floor being laid in marble, presenting an appear-
ance of artistic elegance. The passenger will then proceed
through a handsome arcade with shops on either side. This
arcade opens at its southern end into a magnificent waiting
room eighty feet square and forty-five feet high. The floor is
of marble, and the walls, for a height of ten feet, of the same
material highly polished; above that it is finished in carvexl red
sandstone and pressed brick, and lighted from upper story
windows on all sides. There is a colored glass dome in the
centre of the ceiling.
First-class waiting-room, lavatories and ladies' retiring
rooms open from this room on the east, and a luxurious
restaurant and smoking-room on the west.
At the south end of the main waiting-room the east-bound
train shed is reached across a closed bridge. From this bridge
access down to the platforms is obtained by various stairways,
and still further to the south, across the west-bound train shed,
to the platforms by stairways.
These platforms have an average length of 1,000 feet, and
are laid with asphalt.
The exterior of the building, of which the principal front is
on Front Street, is of Credit Valley brown stone and red brick,
with a lofty tower.
The upper floor will accommodate the general offices of the
Grand Trunk and Canadian Pacific Railway Companies.
GERHARD HEINTZMAN, ESQ.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. S3?
\'>v')
The Gerhard Heintzman Piano Co.
The first element in the success of any enterprise is a
practical knowledge of all its details.
For more than a quarter of a century Mr. Gerhard Heintzman
has exercised this skill and knowledge in the production of
pianos of the highest class. Realizing in the early years of his
business life that the upright piano was undoubtedly the piano
of the future, he devoted his entire energy and skill to its con-
struction.
The almost universal preference now given to the upright
instrument, both for convenience and general adaptation as well
as perfection of tone, fully bears out the opinion then enter-
tained by Mr. Heintzman. The Lansdowne piano of which Mr.
Heintzman was sole maker, has been cheerfully acknowledged
by musicians and musical authorities generally to rank first in
Canadian make, and fully equal to the highest grade of
American instruments. At the Toronto Exhibitions in 1880,
1881 and 1882, Mr. Heintzman secured the only medal for
superior quality and general workmanship. The actions supplied
are exclusively of the highest grade, are pliant and easy under
the hand of the pianist and enable him to be either powerful
or light in his execution. The leading points of excellence
in the Gerhard Heintzman piano are evenness of scale, great
power, rich singing quality of tone, unapproachable finish and
absolute durability. The policy to which this firm has
conscientiously adhered has been never to sacrifice quality of
material and workmanship to lowness of price. Only first-
class work is turned out, the finest materials are used, and the
most skilful workmen employed. As all is under the personal
supervision of Mr. Heintzman from commencement to finish, to
every purchaser there is an absolute guarantee as to price and
quality and general satisfaction. The designs are the perfection
of taste and beauty, being both chaste and ornamental, and
will be found to grace any drawing-room even when furnished
in the highest style of art.
The present business is without a parallel in the history of
338 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
the piano trade of Toronto, already the demand exceeding the
supply, and proves the high reputation Mr. Gerhard Heintzman
has secured throughout the Dominion. Their extensive factory
is situated on Sherbourne Street.
Its facilities have been so enlarged, from time to time,
that now they are unsurpassed in the perfection of their
equipment.
Nothing could speak plainer of a healthy tendency in the
piano trade in the Dominion than the increased demand for
such instruments as the " Gerhard Heintzman " piano, and to
Mr. Heintzman's credit it may be said that he has won success
through the merit of his pianos little sho.rt of phenomenal.
Among the prominent houses that handle the " Gerhard
Heintzman " piano extensively are : Gourlay, Winter .&
Leeming, Yonge Street, Toronto ; J. L. Qrme & Son, Ottawa ;
Laurent, Laforce & Bourdeau, Montreal ; Arthur Lavigne,
Quebec; Wm. McPhillips, London; S. G. Read, Brantford ;
G. A. LeBaron, Sherbrooke, Que.; W. Grundy & Co., Winnipeg ;
B. J. Walker, Windsor ; J. Barron, Sarnia.
The Empire on Which the Sun never Sets.
Queen Victoria is now Sovereign over a continent, 100 pen-
insulas, 500 promontories, 1,000 lakes, 2,000 rivers, and 10,000
islands. She bends her head, and at the signal 1,000 ships of
war and 100,000 sailors perform her bidding on the ocean.
She walks upon the earth, and 300,000,000 human beings feel
the pressure of her foot.
The Assyrian Empire was not so populous. The Persian
Empire was not so powerful. The Carthaginian Empire was
not so much dreaded. The Spanish Empire was not so widely
diffused. The Roman power was weak in comparison, and
Greece was as a small village.
Appreciation of the Imperial Institute.
" Only the other day I was in the Imperial Institute, and I
cannot but think that the great outside world yet remains
strangely ignorant of the wealth of interest and the solid fact-
I
Pf
1!
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 339
teaching that may be found within the courts of this vast pile.
To go over it even in a very cursory way is to receive a sort of
object-lesson in the true greatness, and, still, more in the signifi-
cance of our colossal colonial Empire, and to perceive thence
how the advancement of mankind in all the softening arts of
peace is really bound up in the progress and federation of
Britain beyond the seas." — European Mail.
The Sunday Herald, of Boston, United States, says : " In the
West End of London there stands a huge, imposing building,
which serves as the rallying-point of the 370,000,000 subjects
of the Queen-Empress Victoria. It is known as the Imperial
Institute. It is a commercial museum, a club, a nest of lecture
halls, a resort for all who live under the British flag in any
part of the world. It is the realization of an idea of the Prince
of Wales, who is a good deal more of a man than our smart
paragraphers and our republican scorn of kings (which is
largely theoretical) permit us to believe. That great pile of
masonry symbolizes the Imperial idea, or, if you like it better,
the idea of the federalization of the English-speaking race."
Opening of the Imperial Institute.
The foundation-stone of the building was laid by Her Majesty
on July 4th, 1887, and formally opened on May 10th, 1893.
The opening by the Queen was a brilliant ceremony. The
Prince of Wales and other members of the Royal Family were
present.
An interesting feature of the parade of royalty was the part
taken by Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, the betrothed of
Prince George of Wales.
The opening of the Institute was the signal for the pealing
of the Alexandra peal of bells in the Queen's Tower of the
Imperial Institute.
A flourish of trumpets announced the arrival of the Queen,
who was conducted by the Prince of Wales to a dais in the
great hall of the Institute.
The passage-way leading to the hall was lined with Indian
340 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
and Colonial troops, gentlemen-at-arms, yeomen of the guard,
and State trumpeters.
The Queen took her seat in a chair of state, surrounded by
royal princes and princesses, and distinguished and representa-
tive men from all parts of the Empire — foreign princes, ambas-
sadors and Ministers.
After the building had been declared inaugurated, a splendid
master-key of elegant workmanship was presented to the
Queen. The key is made of metals and precious stones from
all parts of the Empire. The handle is embellished with precious
stones, and the remainder of the key is gold.
This key Her Majesty inserted in the beautiful silver
model of the Imperial Institute, which was presented to the
Prince and Princess of Wales upon their silver wedding day by
the citizens of London.
The placing of the key in the model completed the circuit of
an electric current in the Queen's Tower of the Institute, where
a peal was immediately rung upon the bells. Simultaneously,
salvos were fired from the guns of a battery of horse artillery
drawn up in Hyde Park.
The usual enthusiasm prevailed along the route of the pro-
cession from Buckingham Palace, the interest amongst the
immense crowds being intensified by the presence of the
Princess May.
Marriage of the Duke of York.
Myriads of hearts to-day beat fast
For Love's approach. In many a home,
In dewy English parks, 'neath secular trees,
The eyes of maids and mothers, which grew wet
For that which none forget,
Kindle with joy to see the young god come.
Myriads of humble hearts, by field or town,
Are fain of it, and do rejoice with these
Through all our greater Britain's loyal souls,
'Twixt whom and us the ocean vainly rolls
By hill or lonely plain, or sea- vexed isle,
Or where the warm waves kiss the palm-fringed strand,
TOKONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 341
Or where the sombre, listening forests stand ;
Hear the glad news and smile,
And live their past anew, and homeward turn
With hearts and souls that yearn,
Seeing again their lost youth glorified
In bridegroom and in bride.
— LEWIS MORRIS.
The marriage of the Duke of York (Prince George of Wales)
and Princess Victoria of Teck, an event to which all England
had been looking forward with great interest, took place in the
Chapel Royal, St. James' Palace, on the 6th of July, 1893. The
wedding was a brilliant function, and was attended by a large
gathering of the members of the British Royal Family, Conti-
nental Sovereigns or their representatives, and members of the
highest nobility.
The occasion was made one of national rejoicing and a par-
tial British holiday. The decorations along the line of the
royal procession were profuse and beautiful, and the route was
lined with troops. The scene was full of life and animation,
and the ceremony eclipsed in splendor any recent ceremonial in
connection with the British Court.
The gifts were of immense value, and were exhibited to the
public in the Imperial Institute for some time afterwards. The
gift of the Princess of Wales, chiefly of jewelry and precious
stones, was valued at £250,000.
Manchester Ship Canal.
The formal opening of the Manchester Ship Canal to the
traffic of the world was accomplished on the 21st of May, 1894.
Her Majesty the Queen, on her arrival, entered one of the
royal carriages, and was driven to the Town Hall, where she
was presented with an address.
From the Town Hall the Queen and party were driven to
Trafford wharf. All along eight miles of streets through
which the Queen was driven the greatest enthusiasm prevailed.
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the way. Banners,
flags, floral arches and Venetian masts were visible everywhere.
342 TORONTO "GALLED BACK."
The Queen was escorted by a guard of honor of the 14th
Hussars, and other regiments. The various guards of honor
comprised about one thousand men, and about five thousand
troops guarded the streets through which the royal procession
passed.
Arriving at Trafford wharf, the Queen embarked on board
the royal yacht Enchantress, which at once steamed up the
canal, in the vicinity of Salford docks, where she formally
declared the Manchester Ship Canal open to commerce.
The enthusiasm of the people of Salford was quite as marked
as that of the people of Manchester. The streets and the
buildings were magnificently decorated, and the inhabitants
turned out en masse to take part in the celebration of the
occasion.
During the exercises the Queen conferred the Order of
Knighthood upon the Lord Mayor of Manchester, the Mayor of
Salford, and Mr. Joseph Leigh, M.P., son-in-law of Mr. David
Adamson, chief promoter and first chairman of the Manchester
Ship Canal Company.
As one of the developments of the Manchester Ship Canal,
it is stated that the North German Lloyd Steamship Com-
pany is about to run a service of fast steamers fortnightly
between Brazil, Australia, China and the West Indies, and Man-
chester. It is also stated that the service between Manchester
and Quebec and Montreal will begin in April.
It is safe to predict that, on the completion of the enlarge-
ment of our canals, vessels laden with Canadian produce will
sail from Toronto harbor, and deliver their cargoes without
breaking bulk at the Manchester docks, in the centre of a
population of seven millions, and bring return cargoes of heavy
freights to our inland ports.
The importance of the canal to Canada may be seen from
the fact that the import of flour and wheat averages about
700,000 tons a year for the population of the canal district.
If the canal gets this, they will have a cargo of grain every
day, and all the land carriage between Liverpool and Man-
chester entirely saved.
liPu-^
1
H
s
> — .
P
IVERPOO
3
to
1
-I
S
N
N
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 343
The annual importation of cotton to Liverpool exceeds
765,000 tons. Half a million of this is consumed in the Man-
chester district.
Total length of the canal is 35 J miles ; minimum width of
canal at bottom, 120 feet ; average width at water level, 172
feet ; size of largest locks, 600x80 feet ; area of water space for
Manchester and Salford docks, 114 acres ; area of quay space,
152 acres ; length of quays, 5J miles. The locks have been
built to accommodate the largest steamship afloat. The
largest Cunard or White Star steamers could go comfortably
through. The cost exceeds fifteen millions sterling.
Extension of the Park System.
The Toronto of next century will be surrounded with a girdle
of parks such as few cities possess, if the present designs are
carried out. On the west there is the splendid domain of High
Park. On the mid- western water-front is Exhibition Park, the
recent extension of which gives a splendid frontage on the lake,
and the possibility of a magnificent lake-front boulevard. The
plan of the improvements at the central water-front includes a
pretty little public square, between Yonge and Bay Streets.
At Hanlan's Point the Ferry Company is now forming a
pleasure-resort that will attract thousands. At Centre Island
the park is being improved year by year, and several lagoons
are being filled in.
It is proposed that in the Ashbridge's Bay front the improve-
ments shall include a park of 260 acres, stretching two miles
along the water-front, and to be called Simcoe Park, while 200
acres of land are to be laid out in factory sites.
The " Mail and Empire."
As intimated in a previous edition, the Mail has returned to
its original principles, and having become amalgamated with
the Empire will now occupy the front rank of Canadian and
Toronto journalism. Advocating as it did at first the National
Policy, the closest union of all the Colonies with each other
344 TORONTO "CALLED BACK.*'
and the integrity of the British Empire, the Mail and
Empire will represent the best interests of the Dominion, and
having always supplied the fullest intelligence from all parts
of the world, must enlist more than ever popular favor in its
behalf.
The Governor-General at Bideau Hall.
The Earl and Countess of Aberdeen, on entering on their
vice-regal duties at Ottawa, did not appear as strangers to
Canada. Their previous visit and temporary residence, as well
as their travels through the Dominion, and His Lordship's
investments in British Columbia, had given the Canadian
people a right to claim them already as citizens, and their official
career so far has confirmed the impression already made of their
personal interest in all that affects every class of society in the
country, and their identity with its interests in every depart-
ment. Their affability on every occasion in no way derogates
from the dignity which attaches to the functions appertaining
to the vice-regal position, and the combination of both quali-
ties imparts a special charm to intercourse with them.
No doubt it was in a similar manner that the hearts of the
Irish people were captivated, and the wonderful popularity of
the Earl and Countess in Ireland was evoked. One of the very
first acts of Lord Aberdeen, in Dublin, was to visit the Mansion
House, to attend a meeting for the purpose of devising means
for relieving the distress then existing on the west coast of
Ireland. Although His Excellency did not attend as Lord
Lieutenant, but as a citizen of Dublin, the royal state was
maintained by the Viceroy driving through the streets from
the Castle in the usual car riage-and -four, with postillions and
outriders. Of the event Mr. Stead says : " It was a critical
moment when the carriage drove up in front of the Lord
Mayor's official residence (a thing before unheard of), and the
Viceroy and his wife, in the capacity of citizens, descended to
attend a meeting summoned to consider the distress in the west
of Ireland. It seemed to those present as if the crowd quivered
TORONTO FROM 1&92 TO 1894. 345
and hesitated, not knowing whether to hiss or to cheer, when
suddenly one of the boys gave rein to the exuberance of his
enthusiasm, and broke out into a hearty cheer. Another second,
and all suspense was at an end. Amid a roar of cheers, the like of
which had never been heard behind a Viceroy in recent years,
Lord Aberdeen made his way into the meeting hall."
The Irish heart responded to the touch of sympathy, and the
term of office, although short, was both brilliant and eventful.
When the time came for their Excellencies' departure, the
degree of passionate personal enthusiasm and devoted loyalty
became apparent. The whole of Dublin city turned out to
give the Viceroy and his wife a national Irish farewell.
The encouragement given by Lady Aberdeen to Irish indus-
tries, then commenced, has continued, as seen at the World's
Fair in the Irish village, and is still being promoted in various
ways at home and abroad.
Having referred to Dublin Castle in a previous edition, it
may not .be out of place to mention, in connection with Lord
Aberdeen's residence there,
ST. PATRICK'S HALL
which has been the scene of many brilliant levees, drawing-
rooms, receptions, balls, and other semi-regal functions. The
rich gilding of the pillars, oval mirrors, set-in panels and
pilasters, serve to enhance the gorgeousness of this stupendous
room, unequalled by anything in Buckingham or St. James'
Palace.
The elaborate frescoes and paintings on the ceiling are
triumphs of art. At night, these artistic and tasteful decora-
tions stand out with extraordinary brilliancy under the flood
of light thrown upon them by myriads of gas chandeliers and
branches bearing wax tapers.
In this hall the writer, as a youth, as far back as the forties
""" '((Turing^ one year of which, Daniel O'Connell was Lord Mayor),
witnessed ^?me bmftant scenes. Here, at drawing-rooms or
balls the crowds of ;" fair women and brave men," the ladies
according to Court fashion, with waving feathers and sparkling
346 TORONTO "CALLED BACK/'
diamonds, with the uniforms of Hussars, Lancers, Dragoons,
Artillery, and the various infantry regiments (representing from
ten to twenty thousand troops, always stationed in Ireland while
the "Repeal of the Union" was being agitated), presented a scene
of splendor and dazzling beauty never perhaps equalled, and
never to be forgotten.
The extensive travels of Lord Aberdeen, from the Atlantic to
the Pacific, and his felicitous replies to the numerous addresses
with which he has been presented, display at any rate consider-
able general acquaintance with every subject referred to, and
a comprehensive grasp of matters affecting the interests of the
Dominion, whether educational, commercial, agricultural or
industrial.
Those who know most of the home life of Rideau Hall
testify as to the spirit of cheerful energy that pervades its
atmosphere. Whether socially, religiously or intellectually, it
affords a model worthy of imitation, and, like the Royal Court
of Great Britain, cannot fail to exert a beneficial influence on
the social and moral life of the Dominion.
Unveiling the Statue of the late Sir John Macdonald.
On October 13th, before an immense concourse of people, the
beautiful statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in front of the
Parliament Buildings, Queen's Park, was unveiled by Sir John
Thompson, Premier of the Dominion. His speech was dignified,
and in the highest degree eulogistic of the character of the late
illustrious statesman.
Leading politicians of all shades bore testimony to the splen-
did achievements of the departed, and the benefits conferred on
the Dominion through his lifelong efforts to promote the wel-
fare and prosperity of Canada.
This was the last public appearance of Sir John Thompson
in Toronto.
Death of Sir John Thompson.
The Right Honorable Sir John Sparrow David Thompson,
P.C., K.C.M.G., Q.C., M.P., Prime Minister; of Canada, died sud-
denly at W; England, on the 12th December, 1894.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 347
Dead at the crest, the crown
And blossom of his fortunes, this strong son
Of our great realm sank down
Beneath the load of honors scarcely won.
Windsor's Imperial towers
Kept mournful watch above him as he lay ;
His Sovereign lavished flowers
In gratitude upon his honored clay.
Thro' storm and stress afar.
He crossed once more the troubled wintry wave
In that stout ship of war,
By the old flag enshrouded for his grave.
Great Empire, heart and mind,
Let Britain's sons closer and closer draw ;
Such lives, such deaths, can bind
Our union closer than the bonds of law.
May this career sublime —
This honored ending of an honored life —
Bear fruit thro' secular time
In hearts drawn near deep peace-averted strife.
— LEWIS MORRIS.
The circumstances connected with the death and burial of
Sir John Thompson are without a parallel in British history.
Having attained to the highest honor that any colonial subject
can receive at the hands of his Sovereign, he is suddenly stricken
down in the grand historical Castle of Windsor, almost in the
presence of Her Majesty the Queen.
The subsequent events afford so grand and pathetic a display
of tenderness on the part of Her Majesty, as must forever
remain on the page of history as remarkable as they are
unique. The most minute details by which the greatest
solicitude and sympathy could be expressed were carried out
carefully and completely.
The orders for the conveyance of the body on the splendid
warship, the Blenheim, to Halifax, the transference to Ports-
mouth in a royal saloon carriage, and every detail of the
arrangements, manifested the utmost solicitude on the part of
348 TORONTO "CALLED BACK."
Her Majesty that the highest honors should be paid to the
deceased statesman. The carriage was fitted up as a mortuary
chapel, beautifully draped in mourning emblems.
On the arrival of the train at Portsmouth, the procession
from the railway station to the Blenheim, was attended by
a large number of distinguished officials, both Canadian and
British, also by the Marquis of Lome and other noblemen.
The coffin was carried on board between two files of marines
amid a crash of artillery, and funeral music from the bands.
On board the Blenheim a handsome catafalque was erected
in the captain's room, where the coffin was placed. The room
was draped with crape-bound flags, Canadian and British, and
black cloth ornamented with silver stars.
On the arrival of the Blenheim at Halifax a State funeral
took place, attended by the Governor-General, Lieutenant-
Governors, principal statesmen, ministers, members of
Parliament, senators, and public officials and military officers
from all parts of the Dominion.
The last appearance of Sir John in London was the night
before his death at the Colonial Conference, where he said : He
trusted that the influence of the meeting of the Colonial
Institute would tend to the establishment of greater unity
between the Colonies of the Empire.
THE DEAD PREMIER.
Hark to the solemn gun and tolling bell.
What ship is this that, black as -night or death,
Is entering port upon the sullen swell,
While an expectant nation holds its breath ?
From many a threatening port her cannon gape,
Above her deck the flag of Britain flies ;
Like some sad dream she comes, her sombre shape
Crushing the waves that in her pathway rise.
One of the sea Queen's ocean walls is she,
Grim guardian of her honor ; yet that prow
Ne'er upon nobler errand cleft the sea,
Nor guarded Britain's honor more than now.
TORONTO FROM 1892 TO 1894. 349
The harbor of his earthly wishes won,
Fresh from new honors from his Sovereign's hand ;
To him the summons came, earth's voyage done,
He set his bark towards the eternal strand.
In death he knit the Empire closer yet,
Making unnumbered hearts to throb as one ;
Here by his tomb may Canada forget
The bigotry that he had fain undone.
With his Queen's wreath upon his pulseless breast,
Lulled by the murmur of the restless wave,
Life's voyage done, he takes his well-earned rest ;
In port at last with God beyond the grave.
—ARTHUR WEIR.
The New Cabinet, 1894.
Hon. MACKENZIE BOWELL, Prime Minister and President of the Council.
Hon. SIR ADOLPHE CARON, K.C.M.G., Postmaster-General.
Hon. GEORGE E. FOSTER, Minister of Finance.
Hon. SIR CHARLES H. TUPPER, K.C.M.G., Minister of Justice.
Hon. JOHN COSTIGAN, Minister of Marine and Fisheries.
Hon. JOHN G. HAGGART, Minister of Railways and Canals.
Hon. JOSEPH A. OUIMET, Minister of Public Works.
Hon. JAMES C. PATTERSON, Minister of Militia and Defence.
Hon. THOMAS MAYNE DALY, Minister of the Interior.
Hon. WILLIAM B. IVES, Minister of Trade and Commerce.
Hon. AUGUSTS R. ANGERS, Minister of Agriculture.
Hon. SIR JOHN CARLING (without portfolio).
Hon. DONALD FERGUSON (without portfolio).
Hon. SIR FRANK SMITH, K.C.M.G. (without portfolio).
Hon. ARTHUR R. DICKEY, Secretary of State.
Hon. JOHN J. CURRAN, Solicitor-General.
Hon. W. H. MONTAGUE (without portfolio).
Hon. N. CLARKE WALLACE, Controller of Customs.
Hon. J. F. WOOD, Controller of Inland Revenue.
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